State of the BIBLE · SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND WELLBEING 87 APPENDIX A: METHODOLOGY 107 APPENDIX B: DEFINITIONS 113 AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY 5. INTRODUCTION BY JOHN FARQUHAR PLAKE,

RESEARCH FROM AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY AND BARNA GROUP

State of the

B I B L E2 0 2 0

RESEARCH FROM AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY AND BARNA GROUP

State of the

B I B L E2 0 2 0

Prepared by

JEFFERY FULKS, PH.D.

JOHN FARQUHAR PLAKE, PH.D.

Copyright © 2020 by American Bible Society. All rights reserved.

The information contained in this report is true and accurate to the best knowledge of the copyright holder. It is provided without warranty of any kind: express, implied or otherwise. In no event shall American Bible Society, Barna Group or their officers or employees be liable for any special, incidental, indirect or consequential damages of any kind, or any damages whatsoever resulting from the use of this information, whether or not users have been advised of the possibility of damage, or on any theory of liability, arising out of or in connection with the use of this information.

Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations in this publication are from the Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995, 2020 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

S T A T E O F T H E B I B L E 2 0 2 04

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S INTRODUCTION 9

CHAPTER 1: THE BIBLE IN AMERICA 19

SUPPLEMENT: MEASURING SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT 32

CHAPTER 2: THE BIBLE IN A COVID-19 WORLD 49

CHAPTER 3: THE IMPACT OF SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT 77

CHAPTER 4: SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND WELLBEING 89

A M E R I C A N B I B L E S O C I E T Y 5

CHAPTER 5: SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY 109

CHAPTER 6: SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND DISCIPLESHIP 133

APPENDIX 1: METHODOLOGY 133

APPENDIX 2: DEFINITIONS 139

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 143


I N T R O D U C T I O NBY JOHN FARQUHAR PLAKE, PH.D.American Bible Society

I n 2011, the leaders of American Bible Society began an ongoing research project, examining how adults in the United States related to the Bible, what questions they had about God’s

Word, and what difference it was making in their lives. This report marks ten years of listening and learning about the state of the Bible in America.

A REMARKABLE YEARThe year 2020 began with anticipation for those engaged in Bible ministry and advocacy both in the United States and around the world. Hundreds of organizations and thousands of enthusiastic leaders declared 2020 the Year of the Bible and planned large-scale meetings, encouraging Bible users to renew their commitment to deep, consistent interactions with God through Scripture. They

INTRODUCTION


https://news.americanbible.org/blog/entry/prayer-blog/2020-is-the-year-of-the-bible

also wanted to advocate for the Bible as a source of timeless wisdom and as a remarkable story that tells of God’s pursuit of humankind.

In January, with the capable assistance of the research professionals at Barna, we again reached out to a representative sample of American adults to learn about their experiences with the Bible in their daily lives. We conducted 2,010 interviews with Americans in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Half of the respondents connected with us through an online survey, while the other half talked to us on the telephone.1

By the time we finished our interviews in early February, the World Health Organization had declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International

Concern, but it wasn’t officially a pandemic until March. By the end of March, New York City was facing a lockdown, and people across America quickly moved to shelter in place to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19. American Bible Society, located in the historic Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, instructed its headquarters staff to work from home, starting on Friday, March 13. With few exceptions, we continue our remote work arrangements today.

As researchers at Barna and American Bible Society examined the data from our January study, we faced two challenges. First, the data

1 See Appendix 1: Methodology.

“The Bible is the greatest influence on an individual’s spiritual health. Period. Nothing else comes close.”


https://www.barna.com/

we had so carefully collected were representative of a reality that no longer existed. COVID-19 was reshaping the lived experience of billions around the world in ways that we had never seen before, could not predict, and desperately needed to understand. Second, the data from our January interviews were troubling from a statistical perspective. We couldn’t be certain, but we were concerned that some of our responses were less representative of America than normal.

STATE OF THE BIBLE: COVID EDITIONConsidering these issues, the research team sought approval to conduct an unprecedented half-year State of the Bible survey that we dubbed State of the Bible: COVID Edition. This second research project collected data from a larger-than-normal, representative sample of American adults. From May 28 through June 10, 2020, 3,020 adults from across the United States responded to our core questions about the Bible, faith, and the Church. Additionally, they responded to questions about how COVID-19 had reshaped their health, relationships, finances, religious worship and service, mental and emotional health, and holistic wellbeing.

COMPARING THE TWO STUDIESOnce we had gathered all the data — 2,010 responses from January and 3,020 responses from June — we realized that some of our January data were suffering from a problem known to researchers as a mode effect.


https://www.pewresearch.org/methods/2019/02/07/methods-101-mode-effects/

The January research was conducted using two survey modes: online and telephone. This mixed-mode research has long been preferred by survey researchers to ensure that everyone in the sample frame (in this case, every American adult) has an equal opportunity to participate in the survey. As Americans have transitioned from having landline telephones in every residence to relying on cellular phones, State of the Bible researchers have gradually added more mobile phones into our annual samples. In January, the service provider conducting our telephone interviews made a small, possibly inconsequential mistake by conducting all telephone interviews via cellular phones. The study was designed to have 70% of telephone respondents participate by cellular phone and 30% by landline. In every other respect, the telephone interviews were conducted according to design.

Unfortunately, when we compared the responses from telephone participants to responses from online participants, there were significant differences in the groups. It was nothing obvious. The mix of geographies, genders, generations, and races were the same across both groups. We made sure of that. What caught our attention is that the telephone group was significantly more Scripture engaged and more likely to be Bible Users than the online group. It seemed like the respondents who had to tell their answers to a real person — even one on the other end of a telephone line — might have been presenting a slightly improved version of themselves.


https://www.pewresearch.org/methods/2017/05/12/methods-101-video-random-sampling/

Researchers call this kind of problem a social desirability effect. It happens more when the respondent believes, even unconsciously, that the interviewer would think better of them if they responded in a particular way. For instance, if they say they read the Bible a little bit more than they really do, perhaps the interviewer will perceive them as a better person. After all, 3 out of five American adults wish they used the Bible more than they do.

Once the Barna team noticed the difference in the two groups of responses, researchers at Barna and ABS looked for ways to statistically adjust or weight the telephone responses so they would more closely match reality. We were hoping to find a mathematical tool to remove the error caused by social desirability. Unfortunately, we couldn’t fix it.

WHEN IN DOUBT, COLLECT MORE DATAWe conducted the June COVID Edition study partly because we strongly suspected that the COVID-19 pandemic had changed the state of the Bible in America. We were also interested in double-checking our data from January. If the January data were supported by the June study, that would be great, but if the June study corrected the January data, that would also be an important finding. In either case, we were after the truth, and the additional study helped us discover it.

Once we had all the data from both studies, it was apparent to everyone on the research team that the January telephone data were unusable. We simply couldn’t rely on those responses to tell us


how many Scripture engaged adults there are in the United States, so we threw them out. When we report the numbers of Scripture engaged adults, Bible Users, Practicing Christians, or any other point estimate from the January State of the Bible study, we are using only the online responses. That means our margin of error is larger (+/- 3.1% at the 95% confidence level), but our confidence in the reliability of the data is much higher. Furthermore, the June study has remarkably small margins of error (+/- 1.8% at the 95% confidence level) and does not suffer from social desirability effects in the same way because all interviews were conducted online.

Conducting two State of the Bible studies in 2020 has allowed us to demonstrate our commitment to presenting the true state of the Bible, by using the best available data and the most rigorous scientific methods available to us. It has also allowed us to better understand how unprecedented events like the COVID-19 pandemic impact Americans’ practice of their faith, engagement with the Bible, and holistic wellbeing.

UNDERSTANDING THE STATE OF THE BIBLEFor nine years, American Bible Society has released its annual State of the Bible report around Easter, when Americans tend to be thinking about the Bible and Christian faith. This year, we are releasing the State of the Bible findings differently than in previous years. Rather than issuing a single report, we are beginning by releasing this ebook in July. Additional chapters will be released throughout the year.


This ebook contains four major chapters:

1. The Bible in America examines Scripture engagement and key trends around the Bible since our last study in 2019.

2. The Bible in a COVID-19 World looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s relationship with the Bible and examines the role of the Church in helping people progress down the Pathway of Scripture Engagement.

3. The Impact of Scripture Engagement explains how Scripture engagement influences people’s lives, shapes their choices, and transforms their relationships.

4. Scripture Engagement and Wellbeing shows the connection between the Bible and holistic health, using some wonderful research from the Harvard School of Public Health, Oklahoma University, and Kansas University.

Each chapter contains data and analysis from both the January and the June State of the Bible research studies. Furthermore, each chapter contains next steps for pastors, church leaders, families and individuals who want to grow in their relationship with God through scripture.

FUTURE INSTALLMENTSBetween August and December, we will be emailing new chapters in the State of the Bible 2020 story. That way you’ll have time to


think about how the Bible is shaping your choices and helping you grow in your relationships with God and others. Look for these chapters to drop between now and the end of 2020:

5. August — Scripture Engagement and Technology examines how technology is helping Bible Users understand and apply biblical themes and principles to their 21st Century lives.

6. September — Scripture Engagement and Discipleship Activities looks at the key activities that help Americans move down the Pathway of Scripture Engagement and experience a transformed life.

7. October — Scripture Engagement, Social Justice & Political Identity discusses how the Bible informs Americans’ ideas about social justice and participation in the political process.

8. November — Scripture Engagement and the Military examines how the Bible is perceived by U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their families.

9. December — State of the Bible 2020: A Year in Review recaps the major stories from 2020 and offers an updated State of the Bible ebook with all the chapters included.

Our research tells us clearly that an individual’s relationship with the Bible is the single greatest influence on her or his overall spiritual health. Period. Nothing else comes close.


JOHN FARQUHAR PLAKE, PH.D.Dr. John Plake is a researcher with a pastor’s heart. He bridges the worlds of social science, business intelligence, and spiritual formation, helping Christian leaders understand how people grow in Christ.

Dr. Plake serves as Director of Ministry Intelligence at American Bible Society and is the lead author of the State of the Bible 2020 ebook. Over 30 years of full-time ministry, John has served as a pastor, missionary, professor, and researcher.

He is an ordained minister with a Ph.D. in intercultural studies. He lives with his family in Wilmington, Delaware.

Contact me at [email protected]

As you read the 2020 State of the Bible, you’ll encounter statistics about America, the Church, the Bible. You’ll learn about how gender, race, faith tradition, relationships, and access to technology influence Americans’ experience with God. You will feel the sting of COVID-19 as it has shattered families, emptied bank accounts, taken jobs, and distanced relationships.

All of that is statistics.

You’re not a statistic. You’re a person. Whether you are a member of the media, a church leader, a fellow Christian, an adherent of another faith, or someone who claims no faith at all, these pages invite you to consider the Bible’s influence on your own life.

If you wish you used the Bible more frequently, you’re not alone. We will give you suggestions about how your dream can be realized.

If you have tried the Bible and just don’t understand it, let this research point you to the tools being used by others to explore and understand the Bible better.

I invite you to consider the state of the Bible in your life and start or continue your journey with God’s word today.

Turn the page, and let’s get started.


T H E B I B L E I N A M E R I C A

I n 2011, American Bible Society and our research partners at Barna Group began an annual, nationwide research project known as State of the Bible. Every January the research team

has asked typical American adults about the place of the Bible in their lives.

• How much do they use the Bible, if at all? • What influence does the Bible have on their

choices and decisions?• What do they believe about the Bible, its origins,

and its teachings?• Why do they use — or not use — the Bible. • How, where, and with whom do they interact

with the Bible?

CHAPTER 1


• What difference does the Bible make in the lives of those who engage with it?

• What place does the Bible have in American social and political ideals?

• How does the Bible help those who have been emotionally wounded?

In this tenth State of the Bible report, we examine these questions for typical American adults, and we challenge the notion of what it means to be typical. The truth is that Americans offer a mosaic of perspectives on issues related to the Bible, faith, and the Church. We differ from one another by gender, race and ethnicity, generation, faith tradition, and a dizzying array of other characteristics. While each of these variables gives texture and depth to our understanding of the state of the Bible in America, one overarching theme has emerged in ten years of research:

Bible engagement transforms people’s lives.

Two millennia ago, the Apostle Paul told the first-century Church the characteristics that divide people (like socio-cultural heritage, gender, social class, and others) are subsumed in the work of Jesus Christ. He wrote, “Christ has made peace between [us], and he has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us” (Ephesians 2:14, CEV).

Today, Americans often find ourselves divided from one another. Even in our nation’s churches, cultural conflicts have made it


difficult for people of common faith to find common ground. Our hope is that the timeless wisdom of the Bible will help all of us see ourselves, our neighbors, and our society through a common lens and will provide that common ground where we can meet to face the challenges of the 21st century.

AMERICA’S PERCEPTION OF THE BIBLETo begin, let’s look at Americans’ views of the Bible’s influence on our nation. Nearly half of U.S. adults say that America would be worse off without the Bible (49%), representing a decline of 6 percent, compared to 2019. Just over one in ten (13%) believe it would be better, similar to 15 percent who held the same opinion last year.

13%

39%

49%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Better off

About the same

Worse off

Do you think our country would be worse off, better off or about the same without the Bible?


This year, two thirds of U.S. adults say that different religious texts, the Bible, Koran, and Book of Mormon, are all expressions of the same truths (65%). Self-identified Christians match the rest of America on this question; however, over half of Practicing Christians disagree (52% disagree somewhat + disagree strongly).1

1 See Appendix 2 for definitions of Self-identified Christians and Practicing Christians.

19%

17%

44%

21%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Disagree strongly

Disagree somewhat

Agree somewhat

Agree strongly

The Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same

spiritual truths.


Though most Americans reject the Bible as a unique or exclusive source of spiritual truth, almost seven out of ten adults agree that the Bible contains everything one needs to know to live a meaningful life (68%).

Indeed, three out of five U.S. adults say they wish they used their Bible more (59%), and nearly seven in ten agree (32% strongly, 37% somewhat) they are curious about what the Bible says.

15%

17%

31%

37%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Disagree strongly

Disagree somewhat

Agree somewhat

Agree strongly

The Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life.


In 2020, more than one fifth of US adults (22%) interact with the Bible multiple times a week on their own, not counting use of the Bible while at a church service or mass. Over one third (34%) never read the Bible. Altogether, three of five American adults say they either never read the Bible or read it rarely (60%, three or four times a year + once or twice a year + less than once a year + never).

9%3%10%9%9%

8%7%

11%34%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Every day

Four or more times a week

Several times a week

Once a week

Once a month

Three or four times a year

Once or twice a year

Less than once a year

Never

How often do you use the Bible on your own?


Two thirds of U.S. adults (64%) say their Bible reading has stayed the same in the past year, while over one fifth (22%) say their Bible reading has increased. Those who use the Bible at least weekly are 3.8 times more likely to report their Bible reading has increased over the past year than to report it has stayed the same. Those who read the Bible infrequently (once a month to less than once a year) are most likely to report their reading has decreased in the past 12 months. Of those who say their Bible reading has stayed the same, two in five respondents (42%) never read the Bible, and 13% read it less than once a year.

3%

11%

22%

64%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Not sure

Decreased

Increased

Stayed the same

In the past year, my Bible reading has...


Three fourths of U.S. adults (77%) live in a household with a Bible and virtually all of those adults (99%) have it in a language they can read. Of the one quarter (23%) who do not own a Bible, nearly half (46%) say they have used the Bible on a smart phone app in the past year, and a third agree (5% strongly, 28% somewhat) that they are curious about what the Bible says.

44% 45%

56% 55%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Household owns a Bible Household does not own a Bible

Smartphone Bible App Usage by Household Bible Ownership

Have not used a smartphone Bible app in the past year

Have used a smartphone Bible app in the past year


“It brings me closer to God” is the most selected reason why Bible Users interact with scripture. “It helps me discern God’s will for my life,” selected by nearly one in five Bible Users (18%) overall, is more common among older Bible Users, having been selected by 24% of Boomers compared to 13% of Millennials. Millennials, however, are more likely than Boomers to say they read because they know they are supposed to (9% vs. 2% Boomers).

When describing their most significant frustration when it comes to reading the Bible on their own, respondents express different issues, depending on their level of Scripture engagement and, presumably, their familiarity with the Bible overall.2 Bible Engaged and Bible Centered respondents, are most likely to say they have

2 See the supplement on “Measuring Scripture Engagement “ for category definitions.

2%

4%

5%

6%

10%

16%

18%

38%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

It is part of my studies at school

It shows me how to treat others

I have a problem I need to solve or decision to make

I know I'm supposed to

It tells me about the nature of God

I need comfort

It helps me discern God's will for my life

It brings me closer to God

Why Bible Users Use the Bible


no frustrations (39% Engaged, 49% Centered) or that they never seem to have enough time to interact with scripture (18% Engaged, 10% Centered). On the other end of the Scripture engagement continuum, those in unengaged categories are more likely to express frustration at finding the language difficult to understand (15% Neutral, 13% Friendly) or simply not knowing where to start (15% Neutral, 12% Friendly). Among Bible Disengaged respondents, half indicated they simply do not use the Bible (48%).

57%

0%

2%

2%

2%

3%

46%

0%

5%

4%

2%

5%

34%

0%

3%

5%

2%

14%

32%

0%

3%

7%

2%

12%

17%

42%

4%

2%

1%

7%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

None/No Frustrations

I do not use the Bible

Other

I don't understand the background or the history of the Bible

I can never find the stories or verses I am looking for

I find the language difficult to relate to

Frustrations with Using the Bible by Scripture Engagement Segment

Bible Disengaged

Bible Neutral

Bible Friendly

Bible Engaged

Bible Centered


Among U.S. adults, there is fairly high variance as to what individuals believe about the Bible’s nature. A quarter say that it is the actual word of God, meant for literal interpretation (24%). Nearly a third say the Bible is inspired and some parts are symbolic rather than literal (31%). Three in twenty (15%) say that while the

4%

4%

5%

7%

14%

6%

1%

4%

5%

21%

4%

4%

10%

5%

18%

7%

7%

11%

5%

15%

2%

10%

6%

3%

7%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

I believe the layout is difficult to navigate

I don't feel that excited about using it

I don't know where to start

I think the stories are confusing

I never seem to have enough time to use it

Frustrations with Using the Bible by Scripture Engagement Segment

Bible Disengaged

Bible Neutral

Bible Friendly

Bible Engaged

Bible Centered


Bible is inspired, it contains errors. One in ten believes that the Bible is not inspired and is primarily the authors’ interpretations of God. Finally, about one in five (18%) of U.S. adults believe the Bible is just another book of teachings.

Among those who believe the Bible is “just another book of teachings written by people that contains stories and advice (18%), three fourths agree (31% strongly, 43% somewhat) “the Bible was written to control, dominate, or manipulate other people.” Altogether, approximately 33.4 million American adults (13%) hold this view.

11%

15%

31%

24%

18%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

The Bible was not inspired by God but tells how the writers of the Bible understood the ways and principles of God

The Bible is the inspired word of Godbut has some factual or historical errors

The Bible is the inspired word of God and has no errors, although some verses are meant to be symbolic rather than

literal

The Bible is the actual word of God and should be taken literally, word for word

The Bible is just another book of teachings written by people that contains stories and advice

Beliefs about the Bible

The Bible is just another book of teachings written by people that contains stories and advice

The Bible is the actual word of God and should be taken literally, word for word

The Bible is the inspired word of God and has no errors, although some verses are meant to be

symbolic rather than literal

The Bible is the inspired word of God but has some factual or historical errors

The Bible was not inspired by God but tells how the writers of the Bible understood the ways and principles of God


SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT TRENDSYear over year, overall Scripture engagement has risen by 11.8% or 7.5 million adults. Yet when compared to 2018, the proportions are similar. The Movable Middle of Bible Friendly and Bible Neutral adults shrank slightly from 70.5 to 65.9 million in the past year. The Bible Disengaged also decreased slightly from 120.1 to 118.5 million. As of January 2020, the following percentages of American adults are in each scripture engagement category (see the article on page 30 for more on how Scripture engagement is scored):

• Bible Centered (9%): 22.7 million adults• Bible Engaged (19%): 48.3 million adults• Bible Friendly (16%): 41.5 million adults• Bible Neutral (10%): 24.4 million adults• Bible Disengaged (46%): 118.5 million adults

135.

6

13.7

36.7 43

.3

23.1

120.

1

22.1

48.4

49.9

13.5

118.

5

24.4

41.5 48

.2

22.7

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Bible Disengaged Bible Neutral Bible Friendly Bible Engaged Bible Centered

Scripture Engagement (In Millions)

2018 2019 2020

Total engagement up 11.8% over 2019

70.9 million total

Movable Middle shrank slightly to 65.9 million

(vs. 70.5 in 2019)


M E A S U R I N G S C R I P T U R E E N G A G E M E N T

1 Or in the case of sign language translations, seeing someone sign the Bible.

2 Each of these areas of investigation was related to a theory of scripture engagement discovered in either literature review or

expert interviews.

O n the face of it, scripture engagement appears to be a simple idea; however, when

researchers ask experts and Bible users what it means, they receive remarkably varied answers. For example, some people equate scripture engagement simply with reading the Bible. Others object that simply reading the Bible doesn’t account for scripture engagement among those who lack literacy or whose language has never been reduced to writing. For these populations, oral translations of the Bible are critical, and scripture engagement is about listening to the Bible,1 not reading it.

In 2017, American Bible Society and Barna Group collaborated on a multi-phase national research project to better understand scripture engagement among

American adults. The research was conducted among people who use the Bible, either in English or Spanish, and it represented Bible users from across the spectrum of religious traditions.

The fundamental question researchers sought to answer was what kind of interaction with the Bible results in transformed relationship with God and others?

Researchers examined five core issues that might contribute to scripture engagement:2

1. Frequency: Does it matter how frequently people interact with the Bible, whether that interaction is through reading, listening, singing, or some other medium?


2. Duration: Does it matter the length of time someone spends interacting with the Bible at any single instance?

3. Modality: How do the social setting and/or physical setting of Bible interactions influence scripture engagement?

4. Impact: In what ways are Bible users emotionally, spiritually, and volitionally impacted by their interactions with the Bible?

5. Centrality: How does the Bible influence a person’s choices and decisions?

Two separate research teams—one at Barna and another at ABS—analyzed survey data independently, using different analytic techniques.3 Remarkably, both teams discovered the same thing:

3 The Barna research team relied predominantly on logistic regression, while the ABS team used exploratory and confirmatory

factor analysis.

Scripture engagement is measured as consistent interaction with the Bible that shapes people’s choices and transforms their relationships with God and others.

The result of this research was a 14-item scale that results in a Scripture Engagement Score. That score is comprised of three factors:

1. Frequency: Two questions about how often a respondent uses the Bible on their own and as a part of a large church service or mass.

2. Impact: Six questions about the Bible’s influence on a user’s relationships with God and others.

3. Centrality: Six questions about the Bible’s influence on a user’s choices and decisions.


Among Bible Users,4 the Scripture Engagement Scale is centered on 100, meaning that approximately one half of Bible Users in the United States score above 100, and the other half score below 100.5 The Scripture Engagement Scale is also divided into segments, based on its standard deviation, which is set at 15 points. The five Scripture Engagement Segments are:

1. Bible Centered: Score = 115 or higher. Bible Centered people interact with the Bible frequently. The values and principles of scripture are central to their life choices and relationships. More than eight in ten [83%] use the Bible on their own at least four times a week.

2. Bible Engaged: Score = 100 — 114. Bible Engaged people interact with the Bible regularly. The values and principles of Scripture mostly influence their relationships with God and others. To a lesser degree, the Bible also influences their life choices. Bible Engaged people normally interact with

4 Bible Users are individuals who have interacted with the Bible in the past six months, regardless of their religious

self-identification.

5 In State of the Bible research since 2019, Bible Users are determined to be those who say they use the Bible on their own

at least once or twice a year, apart from a large church service or mass. In June 2020, Bible Users averaged a Scripture

Engagement Scale score of M = 95.66, SD = 14.8. In January 2020, Bible Users averaged M = 98.8, SD = 15.23. In January

2019, Bible Users averaged M = 96.3, SD = 15.24 on the Scripture Engagement Scale.

the Bible somewhat less frequently than the Bible Centered. Nearly half [46%] read the Bible once a week or several times a week on their own, whereas four in ten [38%] read the Bible at least most days of the week.

3. Bible Friendly: Score = 85 — 99. Bible Friendly people interact with the Bible periodically and are open to the Bible as a source of spiritual insight and wisdom. They are almost evenly split between those who read the Bible once a week [21.5%] and those who read it only once a month [23.6%] on their own.

4. Bible Neutral: Score = 70 — 84. Bible Neutral people interact with the Bible sporadically with little influence from the Bible. Nine of ten read the Bible either once a month [36.2%], three or four times a year [22.8%], or once or twice a year [31.6%]. It is also the most troubled category of respondents, showing high levels of stress, low levels of hope and flourishing.


5. Bible Disengaged: Score = Less than 70. Bible Disengaged people interact with the Bible infrequently, if at all, and it has a minimal impact on their lives. Two thirds [66.3%] never read the Bible on their own, and three in ten [30.1%] read it only once or twice a year. As a group, Bible Disengaged people rarely seek out the Bible, tending to encounter it through others, rather than by choice.

Both the Scripture Engagement Score and these Scripture Engagement Segments are a useful means of comparing groups, based on their relationship with the Bible, instead of other characteristics, like gender, race, ethnicity, age, socio-economic status, religious self-identification, etc. For instance, by comparing the flourishing levels, hope levels, or stress levels of groups with different Scripture Engagement Scale scores but similar demographic characteristics, researchers can better understand the Bible’s impact on people’s lives and how individuals come to understand the Bible’s life-changing message.

Respondents have a Scripture Engagement Score of 100 or higher are sometimes considered “Scripture engaged,” though they may be in either the Bible Engaged or Bible Centered segment. Those who score less than 100 are sometimes called “Scripture unengaged” or “unengaged in Scripture,” though they may be in the Bible Friendly, Bible Neutral, or Bible Disengaged segment.


As of January, 86.8 million adults (34%) report they never use the Bible on their own, outside of a large church service or mass. That figure is statistically unchanged since 2019, when 35% of respondents selected the same option. In 2011, when State of the Bible began, 63.9 million adults (25%) said they never use the Bible on their own.

On the other end of the spectrum, respondents who say they use the Bible daily dropped sharply from 14% in 2019 to only 9% in 2020. From 2011 through 2019, the percentage of respondents who claim to read the Bible daily has remained fairly steady, averaging 13.7%. A decrease of 5% in a single year is unprecedented. The slide had not reversed as of June, when the State of the Bible COVID Edition study was conducted. In that larger study, only 8.5% of respondents indicated that they read the Bible every day on their own.

Looking more broadly at frequency of Bible use, the January data showed that 31% of Americans use the Bible on their own at least once a week, down 5% from 2019 and down 4% from the 2011-2019 average. Once again, data collected in June show no correction in this data point. Instead, the proportion of American adults who use the Bible at least once a week on their own continued to be depressed, registering only 29.7%.


28.1 33.2 33.2

38.3 35.8

33.2

40.9 35.8 35.8

23.0

63.9 66.4 66.4 66.4

71.5 69.0

81.7 81.7

89.4 86.8

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Trends in Bible use (In Millions)

daily several times a week once a week

once a month 3-4 times a year once or twice a year

less often never


SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT DEMOGRAPHICSThe Scripture engagement distribution varies with demographic variables such as gender, race, ethnicity, geographic region and age. In the ten years of State of the Bible surveys, women generally exhibit higher levels of Scripture engagement than men. Women are about 2% more likely than men to be Bible Centered, and men are 3.5% more likely to be Bible Disengaged than women. The breakdown in Scripture engagement by gender is presented below.

48.2

%

10.4

%

14.7

%

18.8

%

8.0%

44.7

%

8.5%

17.8

%

19.1

%

9.9%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Scripture Engagement Segments by Gender

Male Female


SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT, RACE, AND ETHNICITYScripture engagement also differs by race and ethnicity. Black or African Americans exhibit the highest levels of Scripture engagement by race. As a group, they are more likely to be Bible Centered and less likely to be Bible Disengaged than all others. When comparing Scripture Engagement Scale scores, African Americans average 12 points higher than American adults, in general. White Americans score below the national average on Scripture engagement (M = 70.5 compared to M = 71.9). Hispanics of any race score above the national average (M = 73.6). Asian Americans have the lowest levels of Scripture engagement for any race or ethnicity measured (M = 63.8).

Asian Americans are more than twice as likely as other Americans not to self-identify as followers of any Christian religious group. Six in ten Asian Americans (60%) are followers of a non-Christian religion or of no religion at all. By comparison, all other racial and ethnic groups combined contain just over one quarter non-Christians (27%). The figure below provides the distribution of Scripture Engagement Segments based on race/ethnicity.


48.1

%

10.2

% 15

.8%

17.4

%

8.5%

29.0

%

9.2%

22.1

%

26.7

%

13.0

%

60.8

%

0.0%

17.6

%

17.6

%

3.9%

43.5

%

8.7%

16.1

%

24.2

%

7.5%

46.5

%

9.5%

16.3

%

18.8

%

8.9%


PR

OP

OR

TIO

N

Scripture Engagement by Race and Ethnicity

White alone Black or African American alone Asian alone Hispanic all races Total


SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC REGIONA third way of segmenting Scripture engagement is by the region of the country in which a person resides. People who live in the South (M = 79.2) are generally more scripture engaged than those in other parts of the country. Those who live in the Northeast (M = 65.2) and West (M = 66.5) have the lowest levels of Scripture engagement.

SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND GENERATIONSState of the Bible data also suggest Scripture engagement varies significantly by generational group. The group with the highest level of Scripture engagement is the Millennial generation (ages 21-35, M = 76.2). The Elder generation (ages 74 and higher) scores the lowest (M = 62.4) overall. Average Scripture engagement

65.2

79.271.3

66.5

Northeast South Midwest West

ME

AN

SC

OR

E

Scripture Engagment Scores by Geographic Region


scores tend to decrease as age increases. Scripture engagement is significantly higher on average for Millennials than for any other generation. Comparison to Generation Z is difficult because not all members of that youngest generation are adults. Elders, Boomers, and Generation Z (adults only) do not score significantly different from one another on average Scripture engagement.

When comparing generational groups by Scripture Engagement Segments, Boomers (10.8%) are most represented in the Bible Centered segment followed by the Millennials (9.8%). The Bible Disengaged group has its highest proportion among Elders (58.8%), followed by Baby Boomers (50.9%). The lowest proportion of Bible Disengaged Americans is in the Millennial generation (39.9%). The table below provides the distribution of Scripture Engagement Segments by generational grouping.


Gen Z (18-20) 41.5% 17.0% 17.0% 18.9% 5.7%

Millennial (21-35) 39.9% 8.0% 21.4% 21.0% 9.8%

Gen-Xer (36-54) 45.6% 8.7% 13.8% 23.5% 8.4%

Boomer (55-73) 50.9% 9.5% 14.2% 14.6% 10.8%

Elder (74+) 58.8% 13.2% 14.7% 10.3% 2.9%

41.5

%

17.0

%

17.0

%

18.9

%

5.7%

39.9

%

8.0%

21.4

%

21.0

%

9.8%

45.6

%

8.7%

13.8

% 23

.5%

8.4%

50.9

%

9.5%

14.2

%

14.6

%

10.8

%

58.8

%

13.2

%

14.7

%

10.3

%

2.9%

PR

OP

OR

TIO

N

Scripture Engagement by Generation


BIBLE USE, BIBLE FORMATS, AND PERCEIVED BIBLE KNOWLEDGE Over half of American adults (55%) use the Bible at least occasionally.3 Three in ten (31%) use the Bible at least weekly, and one in five (22%) use the Bible multiple times a week.

Millennials tend to read the Bible more frequently than other generations with one quarter (26%) reading the Bible multiple times each week. As Bible use increases, the Bible reader is more likely to be a Millennial and least likely to be an Elder. The figure below has a breakdown of Bible reading frequency by generational group.

3 Occasionally is defined here as at least one or two times per year or more often. See graph on page

24 for a detailed breakdown.

37.7

%

18.9

%

13.2

%

7.5%

22.6

%

39.3

%

14.5

%

9.1%

10.9

%

26.2

%

45.3

%

15.4

%

8.7%

10.7

%

19.8

%

49.1

%

15.4

%

7.2%

6.6%

21.7

%

54.4

%

17.6

%

7.4%

10.3

%

10.3

%

Not a Bible User One to four times a year Monthly Weekly Multiple times a week

PR

OP

OR

TIO

N

Bible Reading Frequency by Generation

Gen Z (18-20) Millennial (21-35) Gen-Xer (36-54) Boomer (55-73) Elder (74+)


BIBLE KNOWLEDGE Most American adults report being somewhat knowledgeable about the Bible. Those in the Millennial generation are most likely to say they are highly knowledgeable (16%) and least likely to say they are not at all knowledgeable (7%). Elders are most likely to admit they are not at all knowledgeable (13%) while being least likely to claim they are highly knowledgeable (2%). This pattern mirrors the Scripture Engagement Scale score pattern, indicating that Scripture engagement and Bible knowledge grow together. A breakdown of knowledge of the Bible by generation is in the figure below.

9.4%

26.4

%

43.4

%

9.4% 11

.3%15

.6%

25.8

%

34.9

%

16.4

%

7.3%8.

7%

26.5

%

36.6

%

19.8

%

8.4%9.1%

17.0

%

36.6

%

28.4

%

8.8%

1.5%

29.9

%

29.9

%

25.4

%

13.4

%Highly knowledgeable Moderately

knowledgeableSomewhat

knowledgeableNot too knowledgeable Or not at all

knowledgeable

PR

OP

OR

TIO

N

Bible Knowledge by Generation

Gen Z (18-20) Millennial (21-35) Gen-Xer (36-54) Boomer (55-73) Elder (74+)


DIGITAL BIBLE PENETRATION The format of the Bible people read has changed over the past ten years. Previously there were few options and most chose to read the Bible as a printed document. Today, two thirds (65%) of Bible readers prefer a print version of the Bible. This proportion varies by age group. Younger age groups are indicating a greater preference for digital versions either on their smartphones or on a computer.

Millennials are about as likely to read the Bible digitally (52%) as in print (48%). They are also more likely to engage with other digital Bible resources than other generations. When asked whether they used any or all of six electronic media4 to interact with the Bible, Millennials were most likely to indicate they had used one or more of these electronic resources. As Bible Users get older, they are more likely to prefer a print Bible. There was no one in this sample classified as an elder who preferred a digital version of the Bible over print.

4 Bible Users were asked, “Have you done this in the past year?” and were presented with the following

options. They could select any, all, or none of these:

• Read from a print version of the Bible on your own.

• Used the internet to read Bible content.

• Listened to an audio version of the Bible.

• Listened to a teaching about the Bible or Bible readings via podcast.

• Used a Bible app on a smart phone.

• Searched for Bible verses or Bible content on a smart phone or cell phone.


44.1% 47.6%64.4%

82.0%100.0%

55.9% 52.4%35.6%

18.0%

Gen Z(18-20)

Millennials(21-35)

Gen X(36-54)

Boomers(55-73)

Elders(74+)

PR

OP

OR

TIO

N

Preferred Bible format

Print or paper Digital


NEXT STEPS

For Pastors. A lot has changed in Scripture engagement across the United States in the past several years. How has Scripture engagement changed in your congregation? If you’d like to know how your church’s relationship to the Bible is affecting the spiritual vitality of your church, check out the Look Inside Church Assessment.

For Church Leaders. Digital interaction with the Bible is especially popular among younger generations and among those who are relatively new to the Bible. Have you considered using a YouVersion reading plan with your small group or class, so you can grow together? Try using the with friends feature.

For Families. Talk about your frustrations with reading the Bible and how you feel when it goes well. Consider watching some of The Bible Project’s amazing videos to add variety to your family Bible engagement.

For Individuals. Talk to a friend about your experiences with the Bible and ask them to begin reading the Bible with you. Start by searching YouVersion or The Bible Project for a topic that interests you. The Bible offers wisdom for life, even life in the 21st century.

https://lookinside.research.bible/

https://lookinside.research.bible/

https://bible.com/app

https://bibleproject.com/



CHAPTER 2

T H E B I B L E I N A C O V I D - 1 9 W O R L D

1 Scripture engagement is consistent interaction with the Bible that shapes people’s choices and

transforms their relationships.

W hen COVID-19 struck the United States, it disrupted every aspect of life, including participation in church or other religious events and engagement with the

Bible. Google Trends recorded a spike in internet searches around the Bible in the spring of 2020. When COVID-19 hit in the first week of April, Bible-related searches hit a five-year high. The increased search activity may have indicated curiosity about what the Bible says about suffering, and sickness.

In most cases, however, curiosity about the Bible didn’t deepen into Scripture engagement.1 While State of the Bible data show that Scripture engagement was up significantly in January, compared to


https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&geo=US&q=bible

the same time in 2019, by June Scripture engagement had fallen to below 2019 levels.

In January, State of the Bible polling indicated that adult Scripture engagement had risen to 70.9 million, its highest level since measurement began in 2011. However, the COVID-19 crisis put significant pressure on Americans’ engagement with the Bible. As of the first week of June, Scripture engagement among adults had fallen from 27.8% to only 22.6%, representing some 13.1 million Americans who were no longer consistently interacting with the Bible in a way that shaped their choices and transformed their relationships with God and others.

The largest changes were in the Bible Centered segment, which shrank by 3.8% or 9.7 million American adults. Similarly, the Bible Engaged category shrank by 1.7% or 4.3 million adults.

46.8

%

8.8%

16.2

%

18.5

%

9.6%

46.3

%

12.4

%

18.6

%

16.8

%

5.8%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Scripture Engagement Segments in 2020

January June


Additionally, State of the Bible data show a slight decrease in the size of the Bible Disengaged category along with a surge in Bible Neutrals and Bible Friendlies. These two middle categories, sometimes called the Movable Middle, grew by a combined 6% or 15.3 million American adults.

SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND GENDERNormally, Scripture engagement among women outpaces men. For the first time, June State of the Bible data revealed that women and men had approximately the same levels of Scripture engagement across the country. Men were slightly more likely to be Bible Centered, whereas women were a bit more likely than men to score Bible Neutral. In both categories, the differences were within the margin of error (+/- 1.8% at the 95% confidence level).

46.7

%

11.6

%

18.4

%

16.7

%

6.7%

46.0

%

13.3

%

18.8

%

17.0

%

4.9%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Scripture Engagement by Gender

Male Female


Women who were Bible Engaged or Bible Centered in January lost significantly more ground than their male counterparts by June.

Scripture engagement is comprised of three components:

• Frequency of interaction with the Bible• Spiritual impact of the Bible on the user• Moral centrality of the Bible in the user’s life

Frequency of interaction with the Bible showed the most significant decline for all Bible users between January and June, followed by Spiritual impact. Moral centrality remained fairly steady between the two samples.

3.5%

2.2%

1.3%

-6.0

%

-1.0

%

7.4%

4.3%

-0.8

%

-7.0

%

-3.9

%


Pandemic Change in Scripture Engagement by Gender

Male Female


Two key forces have exerted pressure predominantly on women during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, women with children at home were often expected to adjust both to employment changes — ranging from increased demand for their work to working from home and even unemployment — while also taking increased responsibility for their children’s care and education during the workday. Second, many Bible Engaged and Bible Centered women were disconnected from their church gatherings, small group meetings, and less formal connections with friends who share and encourage their faith. The combined effect of increased demands on their time and decreased opportunities for social interactions around the Bible may have disrupted women’s Bible engagement routines and contributed to their decreased Scripture engagement as a population.

SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT, RACE AND ETHNICITYWhile differences in Scripture engagement were seen across time and between genders, they were also evident between race and ethnicity categories. Consistent with previous studies, African Americans scored higher on Scripture engagement than other races with more than one third (34%) scoring Bible Engaged or Bible Centered. Hispanics of all races also scored high with 3 in 10 adults (30%) above the Bible Engagement threshold. White Americans followed with 21% Bible Engaged, and Asian Americans registered 17% Bible Engaged. Other races, including those who claim two or more races scored third highest in the Bible Engaged category but


were at the bottom of the Bible Centered group. Altogether, 21% of other races were Bible Engaged or Bible Centered.

SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY TYPEOne in four (26%) city dwellers score Bible Engaged or higher. Suburbs see one in five (21%) who are Bible Engaged or Centered. Small towns have a similar proportion of residents who are Bible Engaged (23%). Rural Americans are the least likely to be Bible Engaged or higher with one in five (20%) consistently interacting

51.0

%

10.0

%

17.8

%

15.2

%

6.1%

27.7

%

11.9

%

26.4

%

25.1

%

9.0%

51.5

%

10.3

%

21.2

%

13.3

%

3.6%

40.2

%

10.4

%

19.5

% 24

.5%

5.4%

32.0

%

34.2

%

12.7

%

20.4

%

0.7%


PR

OP

OR

TIO

NScripture Engagement by Race and Ethnicity

White alone Black or African American alone Asian alone Hispanic Other


with the Bible in ways that shape their choices and transform their relationships with God and others.

NON-BIBLE USERS IN AMERICAIn 2019, over one-third of American adults (35%) said that realistically they never use the Bible on their own, apart from a church service or mass. In January, that proportion was statistically unchanged (34%), but by June it had fallen significantly to nearly three in ten (31%). In all, nearly 79 million American adults say

40%

15%

18%

19%

7%

51%

11%

18%

16%

5%

45%

13%

20%

16%

7%

49%

10%

21%

15%

5%


PR

OP

OR

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N

Scripture Engagement by Community Type

City Suburb Small town Rural


they never use the Bible at all.2 In fact, one of every five Americans (22%) now say they live in a household without a Bible in it.

2 In the following visualization, the response options for “four or more times a week” and “several times

a week” have been combined into a single category. Additionally, the response options for “three or

four times a year,” “once or twice a year,” and “less than once a year” have been combined into a

single category, labeled “rarely.”

11% 13% 13%

15% 14%

13%

16% 14% 14%

9%

25% 26% 26% 26%

28% 27%

32% 32%

35%

31%

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Bible Reading Frequency Over Time

daily several times a week once a week

once a month rarely never


COVID-19 AND RELIGIOUS ENGAGEMENTBesides putting pressure on Scripture engagement in America, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for people of many faiths to worship and serve God. Two of every five Americans (38%) strongly or somewhat agree that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on their ability to worship and serve God.

In cities, nearly half (45%) of all respondents who are adherents of monotheistic religions (Christians, Jews & Muslims) either strongly or somewhat agree that the pandemic has had a negative impact on their ability to worship and serve God. In small towns, 38% agreed, in suburbs, 36% agreed, and in rural communities, 28% felt the pandemic interfered with their worship and service.


Generations also showed significant differences in this area. Millennials led the way with nearly half (48%) strongly or somewhat agreeing that the pandemic was negatively impacting their ability to worship and serve God. They were followed by adults in Generation Z (43%), Generation X (39%), Elders (32%), and Baby Boomers (29%).

24.6% 25.3% 25.7% 35.3%

9.4% 9.9% 14.2%

9.8% 21.0%

28.4% 22.0%

27.2%

18.1%

17.9% 22.4%

15.1%

27.0% 18.5% 15.7% 12.6%

City Suburb Small town Rural

PR

OP

OR

TIO

N

Negative Impact on Religious Engagement by Community Type

Strongly disagree Somewhat disagree Neither agree nor disagree Somewhat agree Strongly agree


INCIDENCE AND IMPACT OF COVID-19Respondents were asked several questions related to the health impacts of COVID-19 on them, their family, and their friends. Five percent of respondents indicated they were medically diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. An additional 8% of respondents indicated that they developed symptoms of COVID-19 but were

18.7% 20.5% 26.7%

31.9% 31.2%

6.0% 10.1%

9.0%

10.9% 14.1% 32.7% 21.3%

25.1%

28.1% 23.2%

11.3% 24.3%

17.7%

14.3% 18.8%

31.3% 23.8% 21.5%

14.8% 12.7%

Generation Z (adults) Millennials Generation X Baby Boomers Elders

PR

OP

OR

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N

Negative Impact on Religious Engagement by Generation

Strongly disagree Somewhat disagree Neither agree nor disagree Somewhat agree Strongly agree


never diagnosed with the disease by a physician. Four percent of all respondents were hospitalized, due to their illness.

Approximately one in twelve respondents (8%) had a close family member who was diagnosed with COVID-19. An additional 6% indicated a close family member showed symptoms of the disease without being diagnosed. When asked about close friends, one in eight (12%) had a close friend diagnosed with COVID-19, and an additional 5% had a close friend who showed symptoms of the disease without being diagnosed.

Hispanics of all races were most likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 (12%) and to be hospitalized due to the illness (11%). They also had the highest rate of close family members being diagnosed with the disease (17%). African Americans were most

4.7% 4.0%

8.1%

11.8%

Personally infected with the COVID-19 virus

Hospitalized as a result of this condition

Close family members infected with the COVID-19 virus

Close friends infected with the COVID-19 virus

Incidence & Proximity of COVID-19


likely to have a close friend diagnosed with COVID-19, and they also experienced higher-than-average rates of infection (8%), hospitalization (6%), and infection by close family members (14%).

4.3%

3.8%

7.3%

11.1

%

7.7%

5.6%

13.5

%

18.6

%

6.8%

4.5%

12.5

%

12.0

%

11.9

%

10.7

%

17.1

%

16.6

%

1.9%

0.7%

0.7%

3.4%

6.1%

5.6%

11.5

%

16.8

%

4.7%

4.0%

8.1%

11.8

%



Close family members infected with the COVID-19

virus


PR

OP

OR

TIO

N

Covid-19 by Race & Ethnicity

White alone Black or African-American aloneAsian alone Hispanic all RacesOther Races alone Two or more racesTotal


When asked if they personally knew someone who died, due to COVID-19, two in five African Americans said they did (38%), followed by more than one in three Hispanics of all races (35%). More than one in four Asian Americans (28%) and 29% of those who claim two or more races said they knew someone who died from COVID-19. One in five white Americans (19%) know a victim of COVID-19.

18.7%

38.3%

28.3%

18.9%

28.5%

34.8%

White alone Black or African American alone

Asian alone Some other race

Two or more races

Hispanic all races

Knew someone who Died of COVID-19 by Race & Ethnicity


African American respondents were most likely (17.4%) to say a family member living outside their home had succumbed to COVID-19. Respondents who identified as another race were most likely (15.3%) to say they had a friend or colleague at work who died as a result of COVID-19. Asian (5.8%) and Hispanic (5.7%) were most likely to indicate that a family member living in their own home had died.

1.9%

4.7%

3.9% 4.

5%

4.1%

2.9%

2.8%

17.4

%

8.2%

7.8% 8.

3%

4.3%

5.8%

7.6%

6.9%

6.6%

8.6%

3.9%

0.2% 0.3%

2.7%

15.3

%

1.6%

0.0%

1.3%

10.8

%

4.8%

8.9%

3.3%

1.5%

5.7%

9.3%

8.2%

11.2

%

6.5%

1.9%

Family memberliving in house

died

Family memberliving elsewhere

died

Close, personalfriend died

Friend orcolleague from

work died

Neighbor died Someone else

PR

OP

OR

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N

Relationship to Covid-19 Victimsby Race & Ethnicity


Asian alone Some Other Race

Two or more races Hispanic all Races


COVID-19, FAITH AND THE CHURCHThe COVID-19 pandemic brought social distancing to religious communities across America. Among Practicing Christians, going to church took on a different meaning for almost everyone:

• 48% met virtually, using a streaming service (like YouTube or Facebook) that allowed them to watch but not be seen or heard.

• 23% met virtually, using a video conferencing tool like Zoom that allowed them to be both seen and heard.

• 15% met virtually by listening to streaming audio or an audio-only recording.

• 14% did not participate in any Christian church services.• 12% continued to meet physically with social distancing

restrictions, such as a drive-in church.• 11% continued to meet physically in their normal

location or building.• 3% started or re-started participating in Christian

church services.

For those who were diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus, three of five (62%) say their faith community was a support to them during their illness. That number jumps to nearly three in four (72%) of those who were hospitalized due to COVID-19. For those who have not had symptoms of COVID-19, half (49%) have felt supported by their faith community during the pandemic.


Respondents were asked if they believed the COVID-19 pandemic has strengthened their faith. Nearly half (47%) of Practicing Christians strongly agreed, while an additional 38% agreed somewhat. Non-Practicing Christians were less likely to agree strongly (13%) or somewhat (33%). Understandably, Non-Christians, a category with an abundance of people who profess no faith at all, were more likely to disagree strongly (47%) or somewhat (29%) with this assertion.

47.47%

18.62%

4.14%

27.88%

34.46%

11.50%

16.45%

33.48%

37.52%

8.20% 13.44%

46.84%

Non-Christians Non-Practicing Christians Practicing Christians

PR

OP

OR

TIO

N

The COVID-19 Pandemic has strengthened my faith

Disagree Strongly Disagree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Agree Strongly


COVID-19 AND BIBLE USEWhile nearly four out of five American households (78%) own at least one Bible, and 69% of American adults use the Bible at least occasionally, State of the Bible researchers regularly ask respondents to evaluate their own use of the Bible over the past year, considering whether it has increased, decreased, or stayed the same. In June, most respondents (65%) indicated their use of the Bible had “stayed the same”, while one in five (21%) said it had increased and only one in ten (10%) said it had decreased. Compared to January, the proportion showing change in their use of the Bible decreased slightly from a combined total of 33% to 31%.

While nationwide changes in Bible reading habits were negligible, people who were personally impacted by COVID-19 were more likely than average to increase their use of the Bible. If a family member living in their own household died, respondents were 2.3 times more likely than average to increase their use of the Bible. If a neighbor died, respondents were 1.7 times more likely than average to increase their use of the Bible, and if a close personal friend died, respondents were 1.6 times more likely to increase their use of the Bible.


Those who did not know anyone who died from COVID-19, were slightly more likely than average to say their Bible use has stayed the same over the past year.

Most American adults say they wish they used the Bible more than they do. Previous State of the Bible research has shown the main reason people don’t use the Bible more is a perceived lack of time. In June, three out of five respondents (63%) said they wished they

4.7%

15.4% 9.9%

27.3%

12.5% 6.9% 8.4%

46.0%

56.6%

57.2%

45.3%

51.9% 67.3%

72.4%

49.3%

27.9% 33.0%

27.4% 35.6%

25.8% 19.2%

Family member living in house

died

Family member living

elsewhere died

Close, personal friend died

Friend or colleague from

work died

Neighbor died Someone else Nobody I know died from COVID-19

PR

OP

OR

TIO

N

Changes in Bible Reading by COVID-19 Impact

Decreased Stayed the same Increased


used the Bible more often. The closer the COVID-19 virus came to the respondent, their family or friends, the more they said they wished to increase their use of the Bible.

Those who were hospitalized with COVID-19 were 29% more likely than average to desire more Bible use. Those infected with COVID-19 were 24% more likely to desire increased Bible use. If a close family member was infected with COVID-19, respondents were 19% more likely to desire increased Bible use, and if a close friend was infected, respondents were 13% more likely to want more of the Bible.

78.0%

80.8%

74.5%

70.5%



Close family members infected with the COVID-19 virus


Desire to Increase Bible Use By COVID-19 Impact


FINANCIAL IMPACTS OF COVID-19The financial impacts of COVID-19 have been widely reported. In the three months from March through May 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the U.S. economy has shed 19.5 million non-farm jobs. The official U.S. unemployment rate has settled back from its high of 14.7% and stands at 13.3% as of the end of May. Forbes predicts that 42% of all COVID-19 related job losses will be permanent.

While the economic and vocational impacts of COVID-19 have been widespread, they have not been evenly distributed. One question in the State of the Bible survey asked respondents how many negative financial or vocational events they have experienced, due to COVID-19. These events include temporary or permanent job loss, decreased hours or salary, decreased household income, remote work, closing a business, etc. We also asked about positive financial or vocational events such as increased demand for their work or services, business growth, etc.

While all groups experienced more negative than positive events, Asian Americans experienced more negative financial and vocational events, on average, than any other racial group, and they experienced fewer positive events than any other race. African Americans and people of mixed race also experienced more negative events and fewer positive events than white Americans. White Americans were most likely to experience positive financial or vocational events due to COVID-19 and were least likely among large racial groups to experience negative events.


Similarly, people with Hispanic origins were significantly more likely than non-Hispanics to experience negative financial and vocational events due to COVID-19 and were significantly less

0.56

0.46

0.27

0.48

0.43

0.72

0.84

1.07

0.52

0.84

White alone Black or African American

Asian alone Some other race alone

Two or more races

Average Number of Positive or Negative Financial Events Due to COVID-19 By Race

Positive Events Negative Events


likely to experience positive events. Hispanics experienced financial and vocational events similarly to non-Hispanic African Americans, but still had a slightly more positive experience than Asian Americans.

0.490.53

0.88

0.73

Hispanic or Latino/a Non-Hispanic

Average Number of Positive or Negative Financial Events Due to COVID-19

By ethnicity

Positive Events Negative Events


Asian Americans were most likely to say that they had to shift to remote work or work from home (41%), were temporarily laid off or furloughed (19%), and that their hours or pay were reduced (19%), due to COVID-19. Hispanic Americans were most likely to indicate that they permanently lost a job (15%) and conversely that their salary or hourly pay was increased (5%) due to the pandemic. African Americans were most likely to say they had to close a business that they owned (5%), due to COVID-19. White Americans were most likely to say that they experienced no financial or vocational impact (46%) from COVID-19.

Beyond these impacts, COVID-19 has shed light on the important role the Church in America plays in maintaining Americans’ relationship with the Bible. In September, we will release a new chapter highlighting the Church’s influence on Scripture engagement. That report will feature the kinds of spiritual formation activities that help people weather difficulties and deepen their engagement with God through scripture.


Work and Financial Impact of Pandemic

White alone

Black or African

American alone

Asian alone

Some other race

alone

Two or more races

Hispanic any race

Total

Shifted to remote work or work from home

16.8% 20.3% 41.0% 1.1% 23.4% 23.7% 654

Temporarily laid off or furloughed

12.8% 17.0% 18.6% 2.2% 13.2% 14.3% 461

Permanently lost my job 5.5% 10.9% 9.8% 5.1% 9.7% 14.5% 267

Hours or pay reduced 15.1% 14.6% 19.4% 2.8% 20.1% 17.4% 527

Closed business I own 2.3% 4.6% 0.7% 1.1% 3.1% 2.8% 87

Household income went down

19.1% 16.8% 17.6% 47.8% 14.7% 15.7% 686

Increased demand for my labor or expertise

3.4% 5.5% 3.8% 0.6% 6.8% 5.7% 137

Increase in my salary or hourly pay

3.0% 3.6% 2.0% 1.1% 4.5% 5.0% 113

Expanded the business I own

1.1% 1.1% 0.0% 16.9% 2.2% 7.3% 97

Other 2.8% 3.5% 0.0% 0.6% 1.9% 0.8% 83

Savings, investments, retirement account impacted

0.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 17

None of these 45.8% 32.7% 21.0% 28.1% 27.4% 29.9% 1383

Total n 2809 381 220 191 124 489 3497


NEXT STEPS

For Pastors. The Church plays a central role in helping Christians and seekers find hope in the midst of struggles. Consider learning more about how you can minister to the heart wounds of your congregation by visiting the Trauma in America website, where you can download a free research monograph that may help you.

For Church Leaders. Your class or small group may be facing some of the COVID-19 related struggles outlined in ths chapter.American Bible Society provides a free resource and small group guide that is being used around the world. You can download or order Beyond Disaster at disasterrelief.bible.

For Families.The Beyond Disaster materials, described above, include a guide for families, titled Peace, Be Still: A Family Guide to Living in Crazy Days. Visit disasterrelief.bible to find resources for you and your family.

For Individuals. Many of us are wondering how to care for our neighbors in an era of COVID-19 social distancing and significant social unrest. Visit disasterrelief.bible and check out Loving the Neighbor Who Doesn’t Look Like You. It’s a group resource that you can use to help you connect with others.

https://traumainamerica.bible

https://traumainamerica.bible

https://disasterrelief.bible



CHAPTER 3

T H E I M PA C T O F S C R I P T U R E E N G A G E M E N T

1 Including previous years’ State of the Bible surveys and a 2017 national study of Scripture

Engagement, conducted by American Bible Society and the Barna Group.

T he State of the Bible research team has considered the impact of Scripture engagement for several years. Since 2018, studies1 have uncovered six key characteristics of

Bible Engaged and Bible Centered Americans:

1. Generosity: Scripture engaged people give approximately ten times more to charity than those who are unengaged in the Bible.

2. Forgiveness: Scripture engaged people are significantly more likely to say they are “able to unconditionally forgive


whatever someone else has done to me, regardless of whether they ever ask for forgiveness or not.”

3. Service: Scripture engaged people put their faith into action by serving others more frequently than unengaged people, whether they volunteer in the community or serve in their church.

4. Personal Faith: Scripture engaged people are nearly four times more likely than the Bible Disengaged to say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today.

5. Prayer: Scripture engaged people are more than twice as likely as others to have prayed to God in the past seven days.

6. Church: Scripture engaged people are nearly three times more likely to have attended a church service in the past month than others.

While each of these benefits of Scripture engagement continues to be supported by data collected in 2020, in this chapter we explore the impact of Scripture engagement on behavior in three new areas:

1. Emotional Health2. Social Media3. Prosocial Behavior


SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND EMOTIONAL HEALTHDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have struggled to maintain emotional health and stability. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that during the pandemic, clinical levels of anxiety and depression have surged across the nation. The Washington Post writes, “For every 100 American adults, 34 show symptoms of anxiety, depression, or both.”

Even during more normal times, managing one’s emotions requires a certain level of so-called self-care. Indeed, Bible Users state that their most common reasons for reading the Bible include (see chapter 1 for the full list):

• It brings me closer to God (38%).• It helps me discern God’s will for my life (18%). • I need comfort (16%).

Each of these reasons contains an emotional component, such as a need to feel connected, purposeful, and peaceful.

State of the Bible respondents were asked, “The last time you used the Bible, what was the primary favorable emotion you experienced, if any?” Their responses show that a majority felt hopeful (54%), peaceful (52%), or encouraged (51%). Other favorable emotions experienced by Bible users include loved (37%), empowered (31%), confident (29%), and intrigued (16%).


https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/26/americans-with-depression-anxiety-pandemic

In every case, as Scripture engagement increased, so did the experience of positive emotions. Two thirds of Scripture engaged readers felt hopeful (64%). Three out of five Scripture engaged readers felt encouraged (58%) or peaceful (56%). Half felt loved (50%).

Beyond these emotional responses to the Bible, Scripture engagement is also associated with important measures of holistic wellbeing. Chapter four examines the connection between Scripture engagement and both Flourishing and Hope.

52%

51%

48%

34%

30%

27%

16%

64%

56%

58%

50%

39%

38%

18%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Hopeful

Peaceful

Encouraged

Loved

Empowered

Confident

Intrigued

Favorable Emotions from Bible UseU.S. Adults Scripture engaged


https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu/measuring-flourishing

http://www.ou.edu/tulsa/hope/publications

SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND SOCIAL MEDIAThe State of the Bible research project began only 3 ½ years after the introduction of the iPhone. Since that time, social media have taken an increasing share of Americans’ time and these digital interactions have necessitated the development of new-and-different social rules. Today, some estimates indicate that the average user spends 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media daily. The National Institutes of Health and researchers in public health, social and political science are investigating the relationship between social media and phenomena as varied as cyber-bullying, suicidality, anxiety, depression, election interference, and the increasing fragmentation of society.

State of the Bible respondents were asked a series of questions on whether their use of the Bible affects their social media activity. One third of respondents (33%) answered this series “I do not use the Bible.”

Approximately two in five Americans who use the Bible say it influences how they present themselves online (42%), how they engage with others online (39%), what they post (38%), and the content they view (38%). Nearly three in ten (28%) say the Bible influences the amount of time they spend online.

In contrast, Scripture engaged respondents are nearly twice as likely to say the Bible influences their social media behaviors in every category. Three fourths of Bible engagers say the Bible influences


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183915/

how they present themselves online (77%), the content they view (75%), what they post (74%), and how they engage with others online (73%). Three out of five Scripture engaged respondents say the Bible influences how much time they spend on social media.

42%

38%

39%

38%

28%

77%

74%

73%

75%

60%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

How I present myself online

What I post

How I engage with others online

The content I view

How much time I spend on social media

The Bible's Influence on Social Media Behaviors

U.S. Adults Scripture Engaged


SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIORProsocial behavior in its simplest form is “behavior that benefits others.” The concept is universal and is embedded in the teachings of all major religions. It is a part of the message of the Bible and is often aligned with the Golden Rule in which Jesus summarized the message of the Bible this way, “Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophets are all about” (Matthew 7:12, CEV).

If Scripture engagement results in transformed relationships with God and others, one might expect to see higher levels of prosocial behaviors from Americans who have the strongest relationship with the Bible. At the same time there is a prevailing sentiment that Bible users are judgmental, bigoted, and unwelcoming of strangers (Brint & Abrutyn, 2010).

State of the Bible respondents were asked to rate the Bible’s influence on eight items indicative of their prosocial behaviors. The items completed the statement, “The Bible leads me to . . . “

• Welcome immigrants into my community• Befriend people of other races• Befriend people of other religions• Befriend people who identify as LGBTQ• Care for the environment • Advocate for those who are oppressed by society


https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7&version=CEV

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2010.01513.x

For each item, participants could respond with strongly disagree (1) through very strongly agree (6). The average of these six responses formed a reliable measure of Prosocial Behavior.2

For each increase in Scripture Engagement Segment, the Bible’s influence on respondents’ prosocial behavior also increases. Scripture unengaged respondents (those in the Bible Disengaged, Bible Neutral, and Bible Friendly categories) are not significantly different from one another; however, Scripture engaged respondents (those in the Bible Engaged and Bible Centered categories) are significantly more influenced by the Bible in the way they relate to others.3

Taken together, these results suggest that Bible engaged Americans are more likely than their neighbors to welcome immigrants to their communities; befriend people of other races, religions, and gender identities; care for the environment; and advocate for those who may be oppressed by society. Bible Centered respondents would typically respond that they strongly agree with each of these

2 Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.870). All items contributed

to the scale.

3 A one-way between subjects ANOVA was conducted to compare the effect of Scripture engagement

on Prosocial Behavior for the five Scripture Engagement Segments shown above. There was a

statistically significant effect of Scripture engagement on Prosocial Behavior at the p < .05 level

[F(4,550) = 37.624, p < .001]. Post hoc comparisons using Scheffe’s test indicated that the mean

scores for the Bible Neutral, Bible Disengaged, and Bible Friendly groups were not significantly

different from one another. However, each was significantly different from both the Bible Engaged and

Bible Centered groups. The Bible Engaged and Bible Centered groups were not significantly different

from each other.


statements. In other words, the data suggest that Bible engaged Americans really do practice the Golden Rule.

In summary, Scripture engagement is associated with positive emotions in Bible users. They tend to feel hopeful, peaceful, encouraged, and loved when they interact with the Bible. Furthermore, Bible engaged Americans exercise care in their use of social media by allowing the Bible to influence the content they post, how they interact with others, and even the time they spend online. Finally, Bible engagement is a significant predictor of neighborly behavior that welcomes others, cares for the environment, and seeks the good of the oppressed.

3.30 3.403.80

4.505.00


Prosocial Behavior by Scripture Engagement


NEXT STEPS

For Pastors. In what ways does the Bible challenge Christians to work for the good of others? How can you lead your church in serving others both within the congregation and in the wider community?

For Church Leaders. Think about sharing this chapter with your small group or class and discussing how the Bible influences your lives. Does the Bible guide you in your day-to-day decisions? In what areas do you need biblical wisdom to guide your life?

For Families. Talk about your use of social media. How long do you spend online each day? Is the culture shaping you more than God’s word is? If so, pray and ask God to guide you in your thinking. Consider taking up a daily devotional practice. You can find many good Bible reading plans on the YouVersion Bible app.

For Individuals. If you want to grow in emotional health, responsible social media use, prosocial behavior, and the list of six characteristics at the beginning of this chapter, how do you plan to get there? If you haven’t started a daily Bible reading plan, you can find one at YouVersion or consider the videos at The Bible Project.

https://www.bible.com/app




CHAPTER 4

T H E B I B L E , C O V I D - 1 9 A N D W E L L B E I N G

C OVID-19 has produced significant mental and emotional health impacts on Americans. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, conducted from May 7-12, 2020,

indicates that one third of Americans (34%) are suffering from anxiety, depression, or both. The Washington Post reported on May 26, “When asked questions normally used to screen patients for mental health problems, 24 percent showed clinically significant symptoms of major depressive disorder and 30 percent showed symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.”

In the first week of June, State of the Bible respondents were asked to rate themselves on ten items related to their mental and emotional health. These items gauged anxiety, loneliness, intense emotions, lack of emotion, hypervigilance, and other symptoms


https://www.census.gov/householdpulsedata

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/26/americans-with-depression-anxiety-pandemic/?arc404=true

associated with stress. The stress scale was tested and showed excellent reliability.1 The scores were divided into three categories: low, moderate, and high stress.2

EXPERIENCING STRESSWhile Practicing Christians showed the lowest levels of overall stress, still, one in five (22%) experiencing high stress and nearly one half (47%) experiencing moderate stress. Non-Practicing Christians experienced slightly higher levels of stress with one in four (25%) in the high stress category and over half (52%) in the moderate stress category. Non-Christians experienced the highest levels of stress with over one third (37%) in the high stress category and nearly half (44%) in the moderate stress category. Only one in five (19%) non-Christians experienced low stress, according to the survey.

1 Reliability evaluated as internal consistency. Cronbach’s α = .950. All ten items contributed to the

scale’s reliability.

2 Low stress includes the bottom 25% of scores. Moderate stress includes the 26th through the 75th

percentile. High stress includes the 76th percentile and above.


The most frequent symptoms experienced by respondents in the moderate or high stress categories are:

• Having difficulty falling or staying asleep (44%).• Feeling lonely or cut off from other people (42%).• Feeling hopeless about the future (40%).

31% 24%

19%

47% 52%

44%

22% 25%

37%

Practicing Christian Non-Practicing Christian Non-Christian

Stress by Faith Segmentation

Low Stress Moderate Stress High Stress


FINDING COMFORTWhen seeking comfort during the COVID-19 pandemic, one in five American adults (41%) reached for food, according to the survey. A similar proportion (38%) were comforted by family, and more than one third (34%) turned to prayer and/or meditation. One in five Americans (18%) found comfort in reading the Bible. Smaller percentages turned to alcohol (13%), marijuana (10%) or prescription drugs (9%).

Bible Centered people listed the Bible as their leading source of comfort (70%) followed by prayer (65%) and family (45%). Bible

44

42

40

39

38

38

36

35

35

33

Having difficulty falling or staying asleep

Feeling lonely or cut off from other people

Feeling hopeless about the future

Having strong negative feelings such as fear or anger

Having difficulty concentrating

Feeling tense, watchful or on guard

Feeling no interest in things you used to enjoy

Feeling restless, jumpy or easily startled

Feeling nervous or shaky inside

Feeling numb or detached

Common Stress Symptoms for Moderate & High Stress Groups


Engaged respondents listed prayer first (60%) followed by the Bible (53%) and then family (42%). Bible Friendly people turned first to family (45%) followed by prayer and the Bible (each at 40%). Bible Neutral respondents looked to food first (54%) followed by prayer (43%) and then prescription drugs (25%). Bible Disengaged Americans sought comfort in television and streaming services first (41%) followed by food (39%) and finally family (36%).

Segment First Choice Second Choice Third Choice

CenteredReading the Bible

70%

Prayer and/or Meditation

65%

Family member 45%

EngagedPrayer and/or

Meditation 60%

Reading the Bible 53%

Family member 42%

FriendlyFamily member

45%

Prayer and/or Meditation

40%

Reading the Bible 40%

NeutralFood 54%

Prayer and/or Mediation

43%

Prescription drugs 25%

DisengagedTV or Streaming

services 41%

Food 9%

Family member 36%


HUMAN FLOURISHINGDr. Tyler J. VanderWeele3 and the team at the Harvard University Human Flourishing Program have developed empirical measures of human flourishing, which were used by the State of the Bible research team to gauge the holistic health of American adults. State of the Bible respondents were scored on six dimensions of human flourishing:

• Happiness and Life Satisfaction• Mental and Physical Health• Meaning and Purpose• Character and Virtue• Close Social Relationships • Financial and Material Stability

Based on a comparison of the January and June State of the Bible surveys, Americans are facing significant4 struggles in at least three dimensions of human flourishing:

• Financial and Material Stability fell 16.7%.• Happiness and Life Satisfaction dropped by 9.6%. • Mental and Physical Health decreased 7.3%.

3 Tyler J. VanderWeele, Ph.D., is the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology

in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public

Health, Director of the Human Flourishing Program, and Co-Director of the Initiative on Health,

Religion and Spirituality at Harvard University.

4 Statistical significance is evaluated at the p < .05 level. Each of the reported changes also had a

moderate effect size, meaning Cohen’s d > 0.2.


https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/114/31/8148.full.pdf

https://pik.fas.harvard.edu/

https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/rshm/home

https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/rshm/home

Only Character and Virtue remained unchanged from January’s State of the Bible survey.

6.86.9

6.97.0

6.9

5.8

6.26.

46.6

7.0

6.7

4.8

Happiness & Life Satisfaction

Mental & Physical Health

Meaning & Purpose

Character & Virtue

Close Social Relationships

Financial & Material Stability

Change in Flourishing During COVID-19

January June


HUMAN FLOURISHING AND GENDERAcross every category of human flourishing, women scored lower than men with the greatest differences in two domains:

• Mental and Physical Health: Women scored 8.4% lower than men.

• Happiness and Life Satisfaction: Women scored 7.7% lower than men.

6.8

6.4 6.

7

6.7 7.

2

7.0

6.4

5.9 6.

1 6.4 6.

8

6.5

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

FlourishingIndex

Happiness &Life Satisfaction

Mental &Physical Health

Meaning &Purpose

Character& Virtue

Close SocialRelationships

Dimensions of Flourishingby Gender

Men Women


HUMAN FLOURISHING AND CHURCH PARTICIPATIONChurched respondents score higher than unchurched respondents in every category of human flourishing in both January and in June. On the composite flourishing index, churched respondents scored 7.2 out of 10 in January compared to 6.7 for unchurched respondents. In June, churched respondents scored 7.0, a decrease of 2.7% since January. Unchurched respondents scored 6.2 in June, a decrease of 7.5% since January.

Unchurched respondents score lowest on Financial and Material Stability, scoring only 4.5 in that dimension, a 21% decline compared to 5.7 in January. Churched respondents also saw their lowest score in the domain Financial and Material Stability, scoring 5.1 in June, which was a 12% decline since January.

7.2

7.1 7.1 7.3

7.2

7.1

5.8

6.7

6.6 6.7

6.6 6.7

6.6

5.7

7.0

6.5 6.

8 7.0 7.

3

7.2

5.1

6.2

5.8 6.

1 6.2 6.

6

6.4

4.5

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

Flourishing Index Happiness & Life Satisfaction

Mental & Physical Health Meaning & Purpose Character & Virtue Close Social Relationships

Financial & Material Stability

MEA

N S

CO

RE

(0-1

0 S

CA

LE)

Flourishing by Church Participation

January Churched January Unchurched June Churched June Unchurched


HOPE AND WELLBEINGDr. Chan Hellman5 of the University of Oklahoma is a leading expert on the psychology of hope, pioneered by Dr. C. R. Snyder,6 formerly at Kansas University. The State of the Bible research team relied on the work of Drs. Hellman and Snyder to ask respondents several questions about their levels of hope.

State of the Bible respondents were asked a series of six questions about how they see themselves in relation to hope. Three questions form the Hope Pathways subscale, which measures a person’s

5 Dr. Hellman joined the University of Oklahoma in 2002. He is a professor in the Anne and Henry

Zarrow School of Social Work and Founding Director of the Hope Research Center. He is also an

Adjunct Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Pediatrics for the

OU College of Medicine and the Department of Health Promotion Science for the OU College of

Public Health.

Hellman’s current research is focused on the application of hope theory to predict adaptive behaviors,

and hope as a psychological strength that buffer stress and adversity among those impacted by

family violence. In this context, he is also interested in the impact of prevention and intervention

services on improving client hope and wellbeing.

6 Dr. C. R. Snyder died in 2005. Professor Rick Snyder is internationally known for his work at the

interface of clinical, social, personality and health psychology. His theories pertain to how people react

to personal feedback, the human need for uniqueness, the ubiquitous drive to excuse transgressions

and, most recently, the hope motive. He received 27 teaching awards at the university, state, and

national level, and 31 research awards, including the 2002 Balfour Jeffrey Award for Research

Achievement in Humanities and Social Science and the 2001 Guilford Press Award for Pioneering

Scholarly Contributions in Clinical/Social/Personality Psychology. In 2005, he received an honorary

doctorate from Indiana Wesleyan University. Professor Synder’s research focused on the ideas of hope

and forgiveness. As a pioneer in the positive psychology movement, he wrote or edited 23 books,

including six books he wrote on the theory of hope. His books and 262 articles describe hope’s impact

on various aspects of life, including health, children, spirituality and work.


ability to imagine a path forward, toward their desired future (e.g., “I can think of many ways to reach my current goals.”). Three more questions form the Hope Agency subscale, which measures a person’s confidence that they are able to move themselves along a path toward their goals (e.g., “At the present, I am energetically pursuing my goals.”) These two scales are added together to form the State Hope Scale. Scores for Hope Pathways and Hope Agency can range from 3 to 24. The composite State Hope Scale can range from 6 to 48.

On average, hope has decreased significantly among American adults since January, according to State of the Bible research. Both Hope Pathways and Hope Agency fell by 6% from January to June for a combined decrease of 13% in overall hope.

17.4 16.4

15.514.6

January June

2020: Change in Hope

Hope Pathways Hope Agency


https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1996-01717-010

One of the challenges when working with national-level data is that readers may think all people are about the same as the average score. On closer examination, researchers find there are significant differences based upon how they group or segment the numbers. It is this process that allows the data to become more interesting and helps readers to see the unique differences among the people in our communities. In this next section we present a few ways we can think about hope by different demographic groupings.

HOPE AND SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENTJune State of the Bible data show that there are significant differences in hope related to respondents’ relationship with the Bible. Bible Centered Americans scored the highest (37.5) on overall hope. Bible Engaged respondents followed with a score of 33.8. Bible Friendly Americans averaged 31, and Bible Disengaged Americans followed with an average hope score of 29.1. Bible Neutral respondents scored lowest of all at 23.6, which is 37% lower than Bible Centered Americans.


15.312.1

15.9 1718.7

13.8

11.5

15.116.8

18.8


Hope in the Pandemic by Scripture Engagement

Pathways Agency


HOPE AND CHURCH PARTICIPATIONAmericans also showed increased hope when they had stronger connections to the Church. Non-Christian Americans averaged 27 on the State Hope Scale. By comparison, non-practicing Christians averaged 30, and practicing Christians average 34.4.

14.2 15.517.4

12.8

14.5

17.0

Non-Christian Non-Practicing Christian Practicing Christian

Hope in the Pandemic for Christians

Pathways Agency


HOPE AND GENDERLevels of hope in American adults also vary by gender. Overall, men score higher with a composite Hope Scale Score of 31.5. Women trail men by almost 9% with a composite score of 28.8.

16.20 14.90

15.30

13.90

Male Female

Hope in the Pandemic by Gender

Pathways Agency


HOPE, RACE AND ETHNICITYMost racial and ethnic groups in the United States share similar levels of hope, ranging from scores of 30.9 for white Americans to 29.1 for those who claim two or more races. The one significant outlier is respondents who select “Other” as their race. In the following visualization, these 147 respondents are combined with 25 who identify as Native American or Alaska Natives and five who identify as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders. Together this group of 177 respondents (5.9% of the sample) scores significantly below all other racial or ethnic groups, averaging only 19.6 on the composite State Hope Scale.


HOPE AND COMMUNITY TYPEFinally, rural (30.9) and suburban (30.7) Americans show significantly higher levels of hope than residents of cities (29.2) and small towns (18.7), overall.

16.0 15.3 15.4 15.1

9.5

15.0

14.9 14.6 14.6 14.6

10.1

14.1


Asian alone Hispanic all races Other Race Two or more races

Hope in the Pandemic by Race/Ethnicity

Pathways Agency


NEXT STEPS

For Pastors. Our research partners at Gloo have developed a Flourishing assessment that you can deploy at your church. Check it out at Gloo.us. You can also check out Barna’s State of the Church project, which incorporates measures of Human Flourishing.

For Church Leaders. YouVersion offers Bible reading plans that you can pursue together with your class or group. Consider finding a reading plan that focuses on Hope and spend a week or two discussing how God brings hope into our lives. To get started, check out Discover Hope Through Faith or search reading plans for the word “hope.”

For Families. As the COVID-19 pandemic forced social distancing, our friends at The Bible Project developed a series of Church at Home Bible studies, and one of them is on Hope. Check it out and explore the Bible with your family.

For Individuals or Groups. If you’re struggling to deal with strong emotions because of what’s happening to you, your family, and others close to you. American Bible Society has created a series of resources to help you get beyond the disaster and find hope again. Check out Beyond Disaster and other resources at DisasterRelief.Bible.

https://gloo.us/

https://www.stateofthechurch.com/home


https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/171/

https://bibleproject.com/church-at-home/week9-hope/

https://bibleproject.com/church-at-home/week9-hope/

https://disasterrelief.bible/

CHAPTER 5

S C R I P T U R E E N G A G E M E N T & T E C H N O L O G Y

When Johannes Guttenberg pioneered the use of moveable type in 1454, he sparked a technological revolution that ignited a mass movement toward the

Bible. The Bible was the first book printed on a modern printing press. In the 150 years following Guttenberg’s innovation, literacy soared. A new hunger for learning transformed Europe and eventually shaped the American experiment.

Technology has been a key driver of Bible engagement for over 500 years. In addition to printed books, digital distribution, audio‐first translation, and even immersive video experiences are being used today to advance the goal of universal access to the Bible. Bible


https://eten.bible/

reading guides, plans, commentaries, concordances, and stories are now available in digital formats.

SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT GOES DIGITALIn April, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact the United States, the New York Times reported significant increases in digital traffic to websites and online services such as Zoom, Netflix, and Facebook. While many people sheltered in place, Americans sought new ways to gather information, connect, and collaborate with others. In chapter two, we report on an increase in Bible-related internet search activity that corresponded with the onset of the pandemic, and in chapter three, we present data on the Bible’s influence on social media behaviors. In this chapter, we focus on how Bible Users1 are increasingly turning to digital technologies to engage with scripture.

Scripture unengaged Americans seem to be exploring it more frequently (see p. 56), and Scripture engaged adults may be accelerating their adoption of digital tools that help them connect with the Bible. In fact, the use of digital Bible technologies may actually increase Scripture engagement, especially for men.

In the first six months of 2020, YouVersion reported a 32% increase in unique daily users, compared to the same period in 2019. At the same time, they saw a 183% increase in Bible searches, and a 121%

1 Bible Users interact with the Bible at least 3-4 times per year on their own. For additional definitions,

see Appendix 2.


https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/07/technology/coronavirus-internet-use.html

https://www.youversion.com/press/

increase in Bible Reading Plan days completed, year-over-year, according to Jeff Moore, Director of Global Impact for YouVersion. HarperCollins Christian Publishing, which owns and operates the popular BibleGateway website and app, saw a 150% increase in unique users of their direct-to-customer sites in March and April. Since April, unique user visits have settled back to approximately 125% of their pre-COVID-19 levels, according to Doug Lockhart, Senior Vice President for Marketing and New Initiatives at HCCP.

Though digital interactions with the Bible have increased during the pandemic, purchases of printed Bibles and other Christian books have experienced a marked downturn, according to Kristen McLean, Executive Director of Business Development at NPD.2

In the first two months of 2020, print Bible sales kept pace with the same period in 2019; however, the period from March 1 through May 2, 2020 saw a 35.9% drop in the category. Since May 2, sales of print Bibles have rebounded, but still lag behind 2019 by 17.6% overall.

The deepest weakness in U.S. print Bible sales was seen in Spanish versions, which were off from 47% to 52%, depending on the version, compared to 2019. Modern language Bibles, including paraphrased versions, experienced smaller drops in sales than traditional English translations, and a few have returned to positive year-over-year sales.

2 NPD BookScan™ tracks point-of-sale transactions for the publishing market. It covers approximately

85% of trade print books sold in the United States.


https://www.biblegateway.com/

https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/industry-expertise/books/

-52%

-50%

-47%

-40%

-34%

-34%

-31%

-18%

-16%

-14%

-13%

-8%

-8%

-7%

0%

2%

4%

30%

65%

Nueva Version International

International Children's Bible

Reina Valera

Christian Standard Bible

New King James Version

King James Version

Common English Bible

All Bibles (Combined)

English Standard Version

New American Bible

New International Version

New American Standard Bible

New International Reader's Version

Contemporary English Version

New Living Translation

New Revised Standard Version

The Message

The Amplified Bible

God's Word

Change in Print Bible Sales by Version2020 Compared to 2019

Source: NPD BookScan ™Compares Jan. 6 - Aug. 5, 2019 to Jan. 5 - Aug. 1, 2020


Taken together, these data suggest that Bible Users may be accelerating their adoption of digital scripture engagement tools, including smartphone apps, websites, and audio Bibles. To better understand how digital Bible technologies are being adopted, the State of the Bible survey asked Bible Users to reflect on whether they had done any of the following activities in the past year:

• Read from a print version of the Bible on your own.• Used the internet to read Bible content.• Listened to an audio version of the Bible.• Listened to a teaching about the Bible or Bible readings

via podcast.• Used a Bible app on a smartphone.• Searched for Bible verses or Bible content on a smart

phone or cell phone.In January, Bible Users (n = 482) were permitted to respond with “yes” or “no.” In June, Bible Users (n = 1,431) were asked how frequently they had interacted with the Bible in these ways over the past year. June respondents selected from five options (i.e., never, rarely, monthly, weekly, daily).3

Comparing January to June, respondents indicated statistically significant increases in their interactions with the Bible across all media. Reading from a print Bible showed the smallest increase from January (81%) to June (92%), a gain of 14.5%. Though this

3 For purposes of comparison, January responses of “no” are considered equivalent to June responses

of “never.”


category showed the smallest increase, print Bibles continue to be the most widely used Bible media in 2020.

81%

53%

50%

48%

35%

35%

92%

74%

75%

66%

62%

62%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Read PrintBible

Searchedonline

Read Bibleonline

Bible app Audio Bible Podcast

Bible Interactions by MediumJanuary June

Base = Bible Users

The largest gains came in the digital audio categories. More than one third of January respondents (35%) recalled listening to an audio version of the Bible or listening to an audio teaching about the Bible via podcast. By June, that proportion had climbed by 77% for audio Bibles and 78% for podcasts. More than three out of five June respondents (62%) had either listened to an audio Bible or to a Bible-related podcast in the past year.


By June, three quarters of Bible Users (76%) said they had recently used the internet to read the Bible, up 50% from January. Nearly the same proportion (74%) said they had searched for Bible verses online, an increase of 40% over January. Use of smartphone apps to interact with the Bible was also up significantly (38%) in the first half of 2020. By June, two thirds of Bible Users (66%) said they had used a smartphone Bible app in the past year.

78% 77%

50%40% 38%

14%

Podcast Audio Bible Read Bibleonline

Searchedonline

Bible app Read PrintBible

Change in Bible InteractionsJanuary to June 2020

Base = Bible Users


TECHNOLOGY AND GENERATIONSUse of Bible technologies varies by generation. Generation X4 is the most likely group to read a print Bible (93%) followed closely by Elders (89%), Millennials (87%), and Baby Boomers (85%). Though Generation Z has only a few years of adults to respond, this youngest generation is least likely to use a print Bible (67%), preferring all digital forms of Bible interaction over a printed book.

Reading or searching the Bible online is the second most popular Bible interaction technology for U.S. adults, and preferences for these technologies follow the generational pattern. Nine out of ten GenZ Bible Users say they have read (91%) or searched (89%) the Bible online in the past year. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Elders are the least likely generation to use either of these technologies, Approximately one in four Elders say they have read (28%) or searched (23%) the Bible online in the past year.

Online Bible interactions are the second most popular medium for all generations except GenZ adults, after reading a print Bible.

4 See Appendix 2 for definitions of the generations studied.


89%

27%

23%

18%

19%

23%

15%

85%

50%

48%

34%

33%

33%

28%

93%

71%

74%

63%

55%

57%

58%

87%

82%

80%

77%

71%

68%

65%

67%

91%

89%

84%

84%

80%

80%

ReadPrint Bible

ReadBible online

SearchedBible online

Bible app

Podcast

Audio Bible

Bible ReadingPlan

PROPORTIONTechnology Use by Generation

Elders Baby Boomers Generation X Millennials Generation Z (adults)

Base = Bible Users


TECHNOLOGY AND GENDERUse of Bible interaction technologies also varies by gender. Overall, women are less likely than men to use digital technologies. Men’s and women’s use of print Bibles in the past year is statistically equivalent. The largest difference between the sexes was seen in the use of audio Bible versions. Three out of five male Bible Users (60%) recalled listening to an audio version of the Bible in the past year, compared to less than half of women (46%).

88%

69%

57%

53% 56

% 59% 66

%

86%

61%

46%

44% 47

% 52%

61%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

ReadPrint Bible

ReadBible online

Audio Bible BibleReading

Plan

Podcast Bible app SearchedBible online

Technology by GenderMale Female

Base = Bible Users


TECHNOLOGY AND SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT SEGMENTSU.S. adults, led by younger men, are increasingly reaching for digital technologies to interact with the Bible. At the same time, Scripture engaged Bible Users are more likely to go digital than unengaged users.

Bible Neutral and Bible Friendly users showed the greatest increases in Print Bible use between January and June. In June, nine out of ten Bible Neutral users (92%) said they had read a printed Bible in the past year, compared to only 78% in January – an increase of 14%. Bible Friendly users showed a similar trend, increasing print Bible use 10% in the same period.

By comparison, Bible Centered users increased use of print Bibles by only 6% between January and June. Among the Bible Engaged, use of print Bibles actually fell slightly from 90% in January to 88% in June.

“If new users of mobile Bible apps all lived in the same city, it would be the fourth largest city in the world.”


71% 78

% 83% 90

%

91%

76%

92%

93%

88% 97

%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

BibleDisengaged

Bible Neutral Bible Friendly Bible Engaged Bible Centered

Read Print Bible on OwnJanuary June

Base = Bible Users

By contrast, use of mobile Bible apps was up across all Scripture Engagement segments. Bible Neutrals led the way, nearly doubling the proportion of this group that used Bible apps from a third (32%) in January to three out of five (61%) in June – an increase of nearly 29%. Considering the population of Bible Neutral adults in the U.S., this change represents nearly 9 million new users of mobile Bible apps.

Whereas Bible Engaged users decreased their interaction with printed Bibles, they significantly increased their use of mobile


Bible apps, growing by 13% or 5.6 million users between January and June.

Other Scripture Engagement segments showed smaller growth in use of mobile Bible apps. Bible Friendly users grew by 10%. Bible Centered users were up by 2%, and Bible Disengaged users were up by 3%. Across all Scripture Engagement categories, use of mobile Bible apps grew by an estimated 23.6 million American adults between January and June. If new users of mobile Bible apps all lived in the same city, it would be the fourth largest city in the world behind Tokyo, Delhi, and Shanghai, according to United Nations population estimates.5

22%

32%

45%

58%

71%

25%

61%

55%

71%

73%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

BibleDisengaged


Used Mobile Bible AppJanuary June

Base = Bible Users

5 See https://population.un.org/wup/Publications/Files/WUP2018-Highlights.pdf for more.


https://population.un.org/wup/Publications/Files/WUP2018-Highlights.pdf

TECHNOLOGY, SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND GENDERWhile Scripture engagement and gender are independently related to Bible technology use, they also interact to produce a more nuanced view of the Bible technology landscape. For example, men and women who are not Scripture engaged use technology at similar levels.

Bible Neutral women are more likely to use every digital Bible technology than men in that category. The largest differences between Bible Neutral women and men are in online Bible searches (women lead by 17%), digital Bible reading plans, and mobile Bible apps (women lead by 12% in each). By comparison, Bible Neutral men are 10% more likely than women to read from a print Bible.

Among users who are Bible Friendly, Bible Engaged, or Bible Centered, the men are more likely to use digital technology than women. The following graphs present these comparisons in detail. In each of these higher levels of Scripture engagement, men are 15% to 20% more likely than women to use Bible podcasts, to listen to audio versions of the Bible, to use the internet for searches of Bible verses and content, and to use mobile Bible apps.

In summary, COVID-19 has disrupted Americans’ relationship with the Bible. While print Bible sales have fallen sharply in the U.S., digital platforms have recorded surges in adoption and interaction. Bible users have increased their use of digital technologies to deepen their Scripture engagement. This shift to digital tools has


been particularly evident among younger adults and among Bible Friendly, Bible Engaged, and Bible Centered men. Furthermore, Bible Neutral women have increasingly reached for digital Bible tools to help them explore scripture.

Continue to page 130 for Next Steps.

11%

39%

67%

78%

92%

8%

29%

66%

78%

89%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

BibleDisengaged


Read a Print Bible on Ownby Scripture Engagement and Gender

Men Women

Base = Bible Users


41%

65% 70

%

89%

89%

34%

71%

62%

75%

74%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

BibleDisengaged


Online Bible Reading by Scripture Engagement and Gender

Male Female

Base = Bible Users


43%

51%

71%

85%

86%

35%

68%

65% 71

% 74%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

BibleDisengaged


Online Bible Searchby Scripture Engagement and Gender

Men Women

Base = Bible Users


22%

45%

57%

73%

84%

16%

57%

44%

54%

53%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

BibleDisengaged


Online Bible Reading Planby Scripture Engagement and Gender

Men Women

Base = Bible Users


24%

56% 62

%

76% 78%

22%

60%

47% 54

%

54%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

BibleDisengaged


Audio Bible Use by Scripture Engagement and Gender

Men Women

Base = Bible Users


23%

55% 60

%

75% 78

%

24%

63%

45%

54% 57

%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

BibleDisengaged


Bible Podcastby Scripture Engagement and Gender

Men Women

Base = Bible Users


31%

54% 57

%

82%

82%

24%

66%

53%

61%

62%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

BibleDisengaged


Mobile Bible Appby Scripture Engagement and Gender

Men Women

Base = Bible Users


NEXT STEPS

For Pastors & Church Leaders. Consider how technology has impacted your engagement with Scripture and the discipleship or spiritual formation methods you use with your congregation. What digital tools have been most valuable to you? How do you explain the increased use of digital Bible tools for adults, especially for men? How can you encourage both longtime believers and new believers to incorporate technology into their private and small group Bible studies?

For Families. When you use the Bible as a family, is your only method to use a print Bible? Consider how adding digital tools like mobile or online Bible apps, videos, audio Bibles, and podcasts might enrich your family’s engagement with Scripture. If you’re still thinking that a paper Bible is your best choice, consider trying a version that is new to you.

For Individuals. Think about how technology has changed your everyday life. What do you do online or on a mobile phone that you used to do the “old fashioned way.” Have you also changed the way you interact with the Bible? If so, think about how technology may have deepened your Scripture engagement. Also think about what you might be losing through the use of digital Bible tools.

CHAPTER 6

S C R I P T U R E E N G A G E M E N T & D I S C I P L E S H I P

1 A national study of scripture engagement among U.S. Bible Users, conducted by Barna and American

Bible Society.

F or many people in the United States, scripture engagement is understood as a private spiritual discipline, practiced by devout individuals in solitude. In reality, American adults

interact with the Bible in a wide variety of both physical and social contexts.

A 2017 study1 showed that four out of five U.S. Bible Users (80%) interact with scripture on their own at least once a month. Three fourths (76%) use the Bible at least monthly in church. While these are the dominant settings for scripture engagement, they are hardly monolithic. Half of U.S. Bible Users (49%) interact with the Bible


with their family at least monthly. A similar proportion (50%) use the Bible together with a small group from church, work, or school, and more than a third (38%) use the Bible with one or two friends at least monthly.

Individual use of the Bible outside of church is the strongest predictor of overall scripture engagement;2 however, using the Bible in relationship with others is also important. Controlling for the influence of individual Bible reading, Scripture Engagement Scale scores are positively influenced by relational interactions, including using the Bible with family, friends, and small groups from church, work, or school.

Based on this research, the State of the Bible 2020 asked January respondents to indicate whether or not they had participated in any of the following relational discipleship activities within the past year:

1. Met with someone who is mentoring or coaching you spiritually.

2. Been a mentor or discipler of someone else to help them mature in their religious faith.

3. Been a part of a faith community with whom you can discuss spiritual topics.

4. Participated in a small group to increase Bible understanding.

2 As measured by the Scripture Engagement Scale. See the article on Measuring Scripture

Engagement (p. 32) for more.


Similarly, in June, participants were asked whether or not they had participated in any of the listed activities during the pandemic.

Taken together, we refer to these four activities as discipleship activities.3 In this chapter, we examine the influence of discipleship activities on scripture engagement and wellbeing. We also examine how gender, generation, and the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted discipleship activities for many Americans.

DISCIPLESHIP ACTIVITIES AND COVID-19

Average U.S. Bible Users recall participating in one or two of the listed discipleship activities within the past year, based on responses from participants in State of the Bible 2020. The number of such activities dropped slightly from a mean of 1.58 in January to 1.25 in June. For each time period, the median4 number of discipleship activities was one.

3 Discipleship (or spiritual formation) is a much broader topic than these four activities can encompass.

For the purposes of this research, we apply this label to indicate that these activities are intended to

help individuals grow and mature as followers of Jesus Christ.

4 Median refers to the response category with an equal number of responses above and below it. In this

case, as many respondents chose zero activities as chose two, three, or four.


In January, half of Bible Users (49%) indicated they were part of a faith community with whom they could discuss spiritual topics. By June, however, only two of five Bible Users (39%) said they had participated in a faith community during the pandemic. Similarly, in January, more than two of five Bible Users (43%) said they had participated in a Bible-focused small group within the past year. Fewer than one third of Bible Users (32%) could say the same thing by June.

36.0

%

17.0

%

16.8

%

13.3

% 17.0

%

45.7

%

15.8

%

16.5

%

11.4

%

10.6

%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

0 1 2 3 4

Perc

enta

ge o

f Res

pond

ents

Discipleship Activities per Respondent

Frequency of Discipleship ActivitiesJanuary June

Base = Bible Users


32.4%34.7%

48.8%

42.5%

25.7%28.6%

39.3%

31.7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Met with mentoror coach

Mentor or discipler ofsomeone else to

help them mature intheir religious faith

Part of a faithcommunity with

whom you discussspiritual topics

Participated in asmall group toincrease Bibleunderstanding

Discipleship Activities by TypeJanuary June

Base = Bible Users

Serving as a mentor or engaging in a mentoring relationship as a mentee were equally likely. In January, just over one third of Bible Users (35%) indicated that they were mentoring someone to help them grow in their religious faith. At the same time, a statistically equal proportion (32%) of Bible Users said they had met with a spiritual coach or mentor within the past year.


The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on these mentorship activities, similar to the impact on faith community and small group participation. In June, fewer than three in ten Bible Users (29%) said they had mentored someone else during the pandemic, and only one fourth (26%) said they had met with a mentor or coach who was helping them grow spiritually during the same time frame.

DISCIPLESHIP GOES ONLINESeveral Christian organizations in the United States focus their ministry on discipleship activities, and we reached out to two of them to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their ministry efforts. First, Alpha USA is known for creating faith communities where it is safe for individuals of all backgrounds to discuss spiritual topics and ask questions about Christianity and the Bible. Since 1990, their groups have served millions of people in 169 countries and 112 languages. Similarly, Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) is well-known for their in-depth Bible study groups which serve over 400,000 members annually in 120 nations. Both Alpha and BSF have built their ministry models on gathering people for face-to-face small group discussions. Though both had developed online groups prior to COVID-19, the pandemic accelerated their adoption of digital discipleship activities.

Alpha USA. In the U.S., Alpha has seen a significant shift from in-person to online group meetings, according to Craig Springer, Executive Director of Alpha USA. Through August 15, 2020, the ministry reports that 1,573 churches and organizations in the U.S.


https://alphausa.org/

https://www.bsfinternational.org/

have registered 2,508 online Alpha courses. Overall, 41% of the churches and organizations with registered Alpha USA courses were offering online options. Additionally, 42% of the churches running online groups are new to the Alpha program.

Bible Study Fellowship. BSF also saw a rapid transition to digital groups. COVID-19 began to impact their Bible study groups in Asia first. By March, the organization was transitioning in-person classes to online meetings worldwide, including the United States. Overall, 91% of the organization’s 1,241 physical classes successfully transitioned to online meetings by the end of March, according to Dr. Emily Cox, Director of Ministry Intelligence for BSF.

The transition from in-person to virtual discipleship activities has brought challenges for Christian ministries. Worldwide, 115 BSF classes did not successfully make the jump to online meetings, and 80% of these groups were in Africa. “Classes in Africa were not able to make the transition due to lack of consistent internet services and the bandwidth needed to play and upload video content,” Cox reported. Additionally, some participants disengaged from their groups when they moved to an online format. Among the BSF classes that switched to online, one in five group members (20%) dropped out. “Two demographic groups in particular were challenged to continue their participation: young families and older members. Young families found it difficult to juggle the increasing demands in the home, shortage of devices and sometimes bandwidth to participate. With more people in the home, some found it difficult to find a quiet or confidential space


to participate in their discussion groups. Older members were often less confident with or challenged by the technology needed to engage digitally,” Cox said.

As fall classes start up, BSF is seeing signs of recovery and new opportunities. Some members, who dropped out when their seated classes moved online in the spring, are joining virtual classes in the fall. Online classes in urban areas are experiencing growth, especially among men. In Africa, BSF members are adapting to life after the COVID-19 pandemic and are finding ways to meet safely in person or online.

While many Christian ministries had been experimenting with digital discipleship options prior to 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Church to innovate, shifting discipleship activities online whenever possible. In the U.S., digital discipleship programs offer access to new audiences who might be unable or unwilling to gather physically with others. However, digital discipleship activities also present barriers for those who lack either online tools or the skills needed to use them. Perhaps the Church will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic with more options for discipleship activities, providing both face-to-face and screen-to-screen options for those who want to gather with others to discuss faith and the Bible.


DISCIPLESHIP ACTIVITIES AND SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT

Relational discipleship activities are worth close consideration precisely because they are positively related to Scripture Engagement Scale scores. June State of the Bible data show that 42% of adult Bible Users have not participated in any discipleship activities since the COVID-19 pandemic began. This group scores significantly lower on Scripture Engagement (M = 93) than those who participated in at least one such activity.

The 46% of Bible Users who had participated in one, two, or three discipleship activities during the pandemic averaged Scripture

93.1

100.3 99.6

102.3

106.4

0 1 2 3 4

MEA

N S

CR

IPTU

RE

ENG

AGEM

ENT

SCAL

E

NUMBER OF DISCIPLESHIP ACTIVITIES

June Scripture Engagement byDiscipleship Activities

Base = Bible Users


Engagement Scores of 101, moving these groups into the Bible Engaged category. Bible Users who participated in four discipleship activities (12%) scored highest on the Scripture Engagement Scale (M = 106).

Another way to look at this relationship is to examine participation in discipleship activities through the lens of Scripture Engagement Segment. In both January and June, Bible Users who scored Bible Neutral (18%) averaged less than one discipleship activity. Similarly, Bible Friendly respondents (34%) averaged 1.2 activities in both reporting periods.

0.7

1.2

1.9

2.8

0.7

1.2

1.5

2.3

0

1

2

3


Mea

n D

isci

ples

hip

Activ

ities

Discipleship Activities by Scripture Engagement Segment

January June

Base = Bible Users


The COVID-19 pandemic exerted pressure on both the Bible Engaged and Bible Centered segments. Discipleship activities for Bible Engaged respondents (35%) fell from an average of 1.9 to 1.5 between January and June. Bible Centered respondents (12%) reported a similar drop, falling from 2.8 to 2.3 activities on average.

Overall, the relationship between discipleship activities and scripture engagement is strong. As Bible Users deepen their interactions with scripture, they tend to do so in relationship with others.

DISCIPLESHIP ACTIVITIES, GENDER, AND FAMILY COMPOSITIONWhile relational discipleship activities contribute to scripture engagement, participation in these activities is uneven across genders and by stage of life. Overall, men participate in discipleship activities more frequently than women do, and that difference has widened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In January, male Bible Users recalled participating in 1.7 discipleship activities over the past year. By comparison, women participated in 1.4 activities in the same period. For both groups, having children at home increased parents’ participation in discipleship activities, compared to others of the same gender without children at home. Fathers with children at home participated in 0.9 more activities than other men. Mothers with children at home participated in 0.4 more activities than other women, on average.


2.3

2.1

1.6

1.6

1.9

1.9

1.4

1.2

1.3

0.7

1.3

0.9

1.7

1.6

1.4

1.0

1.6

1.3

January

June

January

June

January

June

Men

Wom

enAl

lD ISCIPLESHIP ACTIVIT IES

Discipleship Activities by Genderand Children at Home

Children at Home No Children at Home Total

Base = Bible Users

June data showed pressure on both genders, decreasing average participation in discipleship activities to 1.6 for men (down 0.2 from January) and 1.0 for women (down 0.5 from January).


The data do not specify why parents participate in more discipleship activities than those without children at home. One possibility is that parents seek out church participation more frequently than non-parents of the same age in order to provide their children with a foundation of faith. Research indicates that emerging adults5 tend to decrease religious participation compared to their earlier teenage years or their later adult years. Another possibility is that older adults — whose children may live on their own — may find it more difficult to connect with others, using technology. Regardless of why parents participate more frequently than others in discipleship activities, their participation deepens scripture engagement and in other important benefits.

DISCIPLESHIP ACTIVITIES BY GENERATIONParticipation in discipleship activities appears to peak early in adulthood and decrease thereafter. In January, across all generations, three in ten Bible Users (30%) recalled participating in three or more discipleship activities in the past year. By June, that proportion had fallen to nearly one in five (22%).

Prior to COVID-19, these higher levels of participation in discipleship activities varied with age. Adult Bible Users among Generation Z were most likely to participate in three or more discipleship activities (46%). Millennial Bible Users followed with more than two in five (42%) participating at this high level.

5 Emerging adults are typically defined as between 18 and 30 years old and not parents, whether

married or unmarried.


Next, Generation X (25.3%) and Baby Boomers (25.5%) recorded a statistically equivalent one in four. In January, no Elders indicated participation in three or more discipleship activities, but that statistic may be due to a small sample size.6

In June, COVID-19 took a significant toll on Gen Z’s participation in discipleship activities. Their percentage of highly involved adults fell from 46% in January to only 25% in June — a drop of 45%.

45.5

%

42.2

%

25.3

%

25.5

%

0.0%

30.2

%

24.8

%

40.5

%

21.4

%

7.7%

6.9%

22.0

%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Gen Z Millenial Gen X Boomer Elder All

Participation in 3+ Discipleship Activitiesby Generation

Jan June

Base = Bible Users

6 See Methodology in Appendix A.


Millennials maintained their levels of participation better than any other generation, falling from 42% to only 41%, a statistical dead heat. Generation X also experienced a minor drop from 25% in January to 21% in June. However, Baby Boomers dropped precipitously from 26% in January to only 8% in June — down 70% from January levels. In June, better sample data showed that 7% of Elders participated in three or more discipleship activities during the pandemic, putting this oldest generation on par with Baby Boomers.

The COVID-19 pandemic had its greatest discipleship impact on both the youngest and the oldest adult Bible Users in the U.S. When it comes to discipleship activities, Gen Z is traditionally the most active generation. Church-based discipleship programs for youth and young adults are typically group-oriented, and stay-at-home orders affected these programs across the nation. Older adults, particularly those in the Baby Boomer and Elder generations were both most vulnerable to the health effects of COVID-19 and least comfortable with digital alternatives to in-person discipleship activities. These two facts led to sharp declines in discipleship participation among older Bible Users.

DISCIPLESHIP ACTIVITIES BY GENERATION AND SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENTThough scripture engagement is positively correlated with discipleship activities, the tendency for participation in discipleship activities to decrease with age persists, even when controlling for scripture engagement.


As each Scripture Engagement Segment ages, discipleship activities tend to decrease.

In January, this tendency is clear. Each Scripture Engagement Segment decreases its participation in discipleship activities, as the segment ages, with very few exceptions. Within the Bible Centered and the Bible Friendly segments, Baby Boomers maintain higher levels of discipleship activities than Millennials.

In June, the general trend of decreased participation in discipleship activities with age was clear again. The main exception to the rule in June was in the Gen Z group, where there was very little difference

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

Gen Z(18-20)

Millennial(21-35)

Gen X(36-54)

Boomer(55-73)

Mea

n Di

scip

lesh

ip A

ctiv

ities

January Discipleship Activitiesby Generation & SE Segment

Bible Disengaged Bible Neutral Bible FriendlyBible Engaged Bible Centered

Base = Bible Users


in discipleship activities for the Bible Neutral, Bible Friendly, and Bible Engaged segments. Additionally, mean discipleship activities for Bible Disengaged young adults registered near zero — lower than for any other group. The disruption to group-oriented discipleship activities for youth and young adults was discussed in the preceding section and is likely influencing the results for Gen Z in June.

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

Gen Z(18-20)

Millennial(21-35)

Gen X(36-54)

Boomer(55-73)

Elders(74+)

Mea

n Di

scip

lesh

ip A

ctiv

ities

June Discipleship Activitiesby Generation & SE Segment

Bible Disengaged Bible Neutral Bible FriendlyBible Engaged Bible Centered

Base = Bible Users


DISCIPLESHIP ACTIVITIES AND HUMAN FLOURISHINGFinally, discipleship activities were associated with overall human flourishing, as described in more detail in chapter four. State of the Bible respondents were scored on six dimensions of human flourishing:

• Happiness and Life Satisfaction• Mental and Physical Health• Meaning and Purpose• Character and Virtue• Close Social Relationships • Financial and Material Stability

The first five measures combine to form the Flourishing Index, and all six dimensions combine to form the Secure Flourishing Index, which includes measures of financial and material stability.

In both January and June, Bible Users who did not participate in any discipleship activities scored lowest on the Flourishing Index. Conversely, those who participated in three or four discipleship activities experienced significantly higher levels of flourishing.

Each type of discipleship activity was considered independently as a potential predictor of Secure Flourishing, and three activities showed a significant relationship with this kind of holistic human flourishing.


1. Being part of “a faith community with whom you can discuss spiritual topics”7 was the strongest predictor of holistic flourishing, adding .49 points to the typical respondent’s Secure Flourishing score.

2. Serving as “a mentor or discipler of someone else to help them mature in their religious faith” also contributed to holistic flourishing, increasing Secure Flourishing by .48 points on average.

7 Wording in this list shown in quotation marks is taken directly from the survey items listed on p. 134.

6.0

6.2

6.4

6.6

6.8

7.0

7.2

7.4

7.6

7.8

8.0

January June

Mea

n Fl

ouris

hing

Inde

x

Flourishing Index by Discipleship Activities

0 1 2 3 4

Base = Bible Users*NOTE y-axis does not begin at zero.


3. Participating in “a small group to increase Bible understanding” contributed .39 points to a typical Secure Flourishing score.

Altogether, these three discipleship activities increased the average Bible User’s Secure Flourishing Score from 5.97 to 7.33, equivalent to more than three quarters of a standard deviation.

In summary, Christians grow spiritually through scripture engagement and through relationships with other Christ followers. Whether in a small group or in one-on-one mentoring, when Bible Users engage in discipleship activities, their relationship with God through the scripture is deepened, and their holistic wellbeing is supported.

COVID-19 has significantly impacted scripture engagement among U.S. adults. One way the pandemic has put downward pressure on Christians has been by disrupting small group discipleship activities, such as those discussed in this chapter. A key opportunity for the Church to support women and men in their spiritual formation, is to develop engaging online discipleship programs as alternatives to face-to-face meetings. Even as shelter-in-place orders are lifted, many older adults and people with health issues remain socially distanced from their friends at church. As Bible Study Fellowship and Alpha USA have illustrated, developing and maintaining digital platforms for meaningful discipleship activities could have a positive impact for many audiences, even after the world returns to normal.


NEXT STEPS

For Pastors & Church Leaders. Think about the effort you have put into making your worship service, preaching, and giving available online over the past six months. Now consider whether similar efforts are needed to make small group discipleship available to your entire congregation and community. Tools like those offered by Alpha USA and Bible Study Fellowship might be useful to your congregation. For more great disciple making resources and organizations, see Discipleship.org.

For Families. Consider the oldest and youngest members of your family. If you have any members of GenZ, older Baby Boomers, or Elders in your extended family, their ability to connect with others around the Bible and their faith may have been disrupted by COVID-19. Can you help them get online and stay connected to others around the Bible?

For Individuals. By now you can see how valuable it is to engage in discipleship activities, rather than simply attending a church service either in person or online. If you’re a YouVersion user, consider starting a Bible reading plan “with friends.” If you’re looking for a great Bible class, check out Bible Study Fellowship. Their new class on Genesis has just started. Click the “Find an Online Group” button to learn how you can join.

https://alphausa.org/



https://discipleship.org/

https://blog.youversion.com/2020/03/missing-your-friends-meet-them-here/

https://www.bsfonline.org/

https://www.bsfonline.org/

APPENDIX 1

M E T H O D O L O G Y

I n 2020, the State of the Bible research teams at American Bible Society and Barna collaborated to conduct two separate but related surveys. Data for State of the Bible 2020 were collected in

the opening days of the year. The State of the Bible: COVID Edition research was conducted in the middle of the year. Both surveys are presented as part of the same study.

STATE OF THE BIBLE 2020Two methods of data collection, online surveys and telephone interviews, were used for this study.

ONLINE

The online portion of the study covered the full survey questionnaire, including some items that were omitted from the telephone survey, due to length. This study included 1,010 surveys collected from a representative random sample of adults 18 and older within all


50 states and the District of Columbia. Data were collected from January 2 through 13, 2020. The sampling error for a sample of this size is +/-3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

TELEPHONE

The telephone survey, using a subset of the items from the online survey, included 1,000 interviews conducted among a representative sample of adults 18 and older from 47 of the United States and the District of Columbia.1 The survey was conducted from January 8 through February 11, 2020. The sampling error for this study is +/-3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All 1,000 telephone interviews conducted by contacting respondents on their cell phone.

AGGREGATED DATA

Data for core questions included in both the telephone and online studies were aggregated. The sampling error for the combined data (n=2,010) is +/-2.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, considering a U.S. population of 255,408,825 adults, as estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau on January 1, 2020.

Participants were recruited and surveyed through national consumer panels. Based on U.S. Census data, quotas were designed to ensure that the final group of adults interviewed – online and

1 Alaska, Delaware, and Hawaii were not represented in the telephone sample but were represented in

the online version of the survey.


by telephone – reflected the distribution of adults nationwide and adequately represented the three primary ethnic groups within the U.S. (those groups which comprise at least 10% of the population: white, black and Hispanic). Quotas limited responses by geographic region, gender, generation, race & ethnicity, and socioeconomic level. No other screening criteria were applied.

Post hoc analysis was employed to test whether statistical weighting of the responses to conform with the religious self-identification of Americans as described in detail by the Pew Religious Landscape Study and subsequent religious composition studies by the Pew Research Center would significantly alter the study’s results with regard to religious variables, including computations of Scripture engagement, Practicing Christians, Bible Users, etc. Ultimately post hoc weighting on religious self-identification was not employed in this study.

STATE OF THE BIBLE: COVID EDITIONThis study was conducted online, using a 15-minute questionnaire. The study produced 3,020 complete responses from a representative sample of adults 18 and older within all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data were collected from May 28 through June 10, 2020. The sampling error for a sample of this size is +/-1.78% at the 95% confidence level, considering a U.S. population of 255,867,605 adults, as estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau on June 1, 2020.

Participants were recruited and surveyed through national consumer panels. Based on U.S. Census data, quotas were


https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/


https://www.pewforum.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2019/11/Detailed-tables-for-upload-11.11.19.pdf

designed to ensure that the final group of respondents reflected the distribution of adults nationwide and adequately represented the racial and ethnic diversity of the United States. Quotas limited responses by geographic region, gender, generation, race, and Hispanic origin. No other screening criteria were applied. Post hoc weighting ensured that the sample was representative of U.S. adults in each quota area plus educational attainment and religious self-identification. The religious self-identification of Americans is described in detail by the Pew Religious Landscape Study and subsequent religious composition studies by the Pew Research Center.

INTERPRETING SURVEY DATAThe range of sampling error indicates the accuracy of the results, and it is dependent on two factors: 1) the sample size and 2) the degree to which the result under examination is close to 50 percent or to the extremes, 0 percent and 100 percent.

Readers can estimate the accuracy of survey results using the table below. First, find the column heading that is closest to the study’s sample size. Next, find the row whose label is closest to the response percentages for a particular question from the survey. The intersection of the row and column displays the number of percentage points that need to be added to, and subtracted from, the result to obtain the range of error. There is a 95 percent chance that the true percentage of the group being sampled is in that range.

Result 100 200 300 400 500 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,500 2,000 2,500

05% or 95%

4.4 3.1 2.5 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.1 .96 .87

10% or 90%

6.0 4.3 3.5 3.0 2.7 2.5 2.1 2.0 1.7 1.6 1.3 1.2

15% or 85%

7.1 5.1 4.1 3.6 3.2 2.9 2.5 2.3 2.1 1.9 1.6 1.4

20% or 80%

8.0 5.7 4.6 4.0 3.6 3.3 2.6 2.5 2.3 2.1 1.8 1.6

25% or 75%

8.7 6.1 5.0 4.3 3.9 3.6 3.0 2.8 2.5 2.3 1.9 1.7

30% or 70%

9.2 6.5 5.3 4.6 4.1 3.8 3.2 2.8 2.7 2.4 2.0 1.8

35% or 65%

9.5 6.8 5.5 4.8 4.3 3.9 3.3 3.1 2.8 2.5 2.1 1.9

40% or 60%

9.8 7.0 5.7 4.9 4.4 4.0 3.4 3.1 2.8 2.5 2.2 2.0

45% or 55%

9.9 7.0 5.8 5.0 4.5 4.1 3.5 3.2 2.9 2.6 2.2 2.0





designed to ensure that the final group of respondents reflected the distribution of adults nationwide and adequately represented the racial and ethnic diversity of the United States. Quotas limited responses by geographic region, gender, generation, race, and Hispanic origin. No other screening criteria were applied. Post hoc weighting ensured that the sample was representative of U.S. adults in each quota area plus educational attainment and religious self-identification. The religious self-identification of Americans is described in detail by the Pew Religious Landscape Study and subsequent religious composition studies by the Pew Research Center.

INTERPRETING SURVEY DATAThe range of sampling error indicates the accuracy of the results, and it is dependent on two factors: 1) the sample size and 2) the degree to which the result under examination is close to 50 percent or to the extremes, 0 percent and 100 percent.

Readers can estimate the accuracy of survey results using the table below. First, find the column heading that is closest to the study’s sample size. Next, find the row whose label is closest to the response percentages for a particular question from the survey. The intersection of the row and column displays the number of percentage points that need to be added to, and subtracted from, the result to obtain the range of error. There is a 95 percent chance that the true percentage of the group being sampled is in that range.

Result 100 200 300 400 500 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,500 2,000 2,500

05% or 95%

4.4 3.1 2.5 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.1 .96 .87

10% or 90%

6.0 4.3 3.5 3.0 2.7 2.5 2.1 2.0 1.7 1.6 1.3 1.2

15% or 85%

7.1 5.1 4.1 3.6 3.2 2.9 2.5 2.3 2.1 1.9 1.6 1.4

20% or 80%

8.0 5.7 4.6 4.0 3.6 3.3 2.6 2.5 2.3 2.1 1.8 1.6

25% or 75%

8.7 6.1 5.0 4.3 3.9 3.6 3.0 2.8 2.5 2.3 1.9 1.7

30% or 70%

9.2 6.5 5.3 4.6 4.1 3.8 3.2 2.8 2.7 2.4 2.0 1.8

35% or 65%

9.5 6.8 5.5 4.8 4.3 3.9 3.3 3.1 2.8 2.5 2.1 1.9

40% or 60%

9.8 7.0 5.7 4.9 4.4 4.0 3.4 3.1 2.8 2.5 2.2 2.0

45% or 55%

9.9 7.0 5.8 5.0 4.5 4.1 3.5 3.2 2.9 2.6 2.2 2.0

Note that the above statistics only relate to the sampling accuracy of survey results. When comparing the results of two subgroups (e.g., men versus women), a different procedure is followed and usually requires a greater sample size. Further, there is a range of other errors that may influence survey results (e.g., biased question wording, inaccurate data tabulation) — errors whose influence cannot be statistically estimated.





D E F I N I T I O N SThe following definitions are used in this and other State of the Bible reports to group respondents by demographics, beliefs, and practices.

Bible Skeptic: Individuals who believe the Bible is just another book written by men that contains stories and advice.

Bible User: Individuals who read, listen to or pray with the Bible on their own at least 3- 4 times a year, outside of a church service or church event.

Division: The U.S. Census Bureau divides the United States into nine geographic divisions, which are groupings of multiple states. These divisions and their population characteristics are used to ensure that survey responses are demographically representative of the United States as a whole.

APPENDIX 2


Generations:

• Generation Z (1997 – 2012): Ages 8 to 23 in 2020. This study includes only the adults in Generation Z: those 18 and older.

• Millennials (1981 – 1996): Ages 24 to 39 in 2020.• Generation X (1965 – 1980): Ages 40 to 55 in 2020.• Baby Boomers (1946 – 1964): Ages 56 to 74 in 2020.• Elders (1928 – 1945): Ages 75 to 92 in 2020. This study

considers any respondent 75 years old or older to be in the Elders generation.

No faith/Other faith: Individuals who do not consider themselves Christian (including atheists, agnostics and other faiths); Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are also included, even if they describe themselves as Christian.

Practicing Christian: Individuals who meet all three of the following criteria:

1. identify as either Protestant or Catholic2. attend a religious service at least once a month3. say their faith is very important in their lives

Non-Christian: Individuals who consider themselves to be anything other than Christians.

Non-Practicing Christian: Self-identified Christians who are not Practicing Christians as defined above.


Region: The U.S. Census Bureau divides the United States into four geographic regions, which are groupings of multiple divisions. These regions and their population characteristics are used to ensure that survey responses are demographically representative of the United States as a whole.

Scripture engaged: Anyone who scores 100 or higher on the Scripture Engagement Scale. See the article on page 30 for a more thorough explanation.

Scripture unengaged: Anyone who scores below 100 on the Scripture Engagement Scale. See the article on page 30 for a more thorough explanation.

Self-Identified Religion: Respondents are asked, “do you consider yourself any of the following religious faiths?” Their response is their self-identified religion, regardless of their current involvement with any religious organization.

Unchurched: Individuals who have not attended a Christian church service in the past six months for any reason other than a special occasion, such as a wedding or funeral.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSState of the Bible 2020 stands on the shoulders of nine years of capable work by the team at the Barna Group. Over the years, David Kinnaman has shown deep curiosity about how the Bible influences America, and he has engaged the expertise of his all-star team of researchers in our annual investigations. This year’s ebook is our homage to the Barna team’s research monograph, based on the first five years of State of the Bible surveys. That book, entitled The Bible in America: The Changing Landscape of Bible Perceptions and Engagement, was released in 2016.

This year, the Barna Group research team managed survey design, supervised data collection, and performed all the data cleaning and weighting procedures for the January study. Special thanks to Brooke Hempell, Pam Jacob, and Daniel Copeland who led the Barna team’s efforts and produced key reports on the January data.

Robert Briggs, president and CEO at American Bible Society, has been a consistent champion of State of the Bible and of data-


https://www.bibles.com/the-bible-in-america.html

informed ministry, overall. He understands that the future of America is connected to our nation’s access to and engagement with the Bible, and he regularly urges all of us at ABS to serve the Church with the highest quality data and insights we can mine.

American Bible Society’s Ministry Intelligence Team was led by Dr. John Plake, who joined the State of the Bible research team for the 2018 study. Since that time, Dr. Plake has helped to expand American Bible Society’s research capabilities, making it possible for ABS to lead the June State of the Bible study and produce this ebook report. Dr. Plake serves as the co-author of this ebook and oversees the ongoing State of the Bible series.

In 2019, the ABS team was blessed by the addition of Dr. Jeff Fulks, who serves as Research Manager on the Ministry Intelligence Team. Dr. Fulks brought deep insight into the world of behavioral science research and served as the lead analyst for both the January and June State of the Bible surveys and co-author of this ebook. He skillfully incorporated research-proven measures of flourishing, hope, and stress, and he performed countless statistical tests to uncover the story behind the numbers.

Thanks to the other members of the Ministry Intelligence Team – Carolyn Wildermuth, James McGowan, and Sandra Siggins – whose combined Tableau skills ensured that our research quotas matched U.S. Census Bureau data on the demographic characteristics of American adults. Additionally, Sandra proofread both the June questionnaire and the code that makes it work.


None of this work would have come into readers’ hands without the gifted design work of Rob Giorgio and the assistance of Brian Maloney. Jefferson Lee helped redesign the stateofthebible.org webpage, based on Rob’s designs and the architectural wizardry of Jeremy Proffitt. Rebecca Richman and our partners at Pinkston, led by D.J. Jordan and Knox Botsford, helped us connect the research with the broader stories in America and the interests of key media outlets.


Documents

State of the BIBLE · SCRIPTURE ENGAGEMENT AND WELLBEING 87 APPENDIX A: METHODOLOGY 107 APPENDIX B: DEFINITIONS 113 AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY 5. INTRODUCTION BY JOHN FARQUHAR PLAKE,